Phase 2 of the Alabama Department of Corrections’ (ADOC) strategic plan to decommission the main facility at William C. Holman Correctional Facility (Holman) continues to progress. Over the past week, the ADOC has worked to move inmates at other facilities to accommodate Level 5 (highest security risk) inmates who are transferring out of Holman, while also making appropriate modifications at receiving facilities. As of 12 p.m. on February 10, the process remains in an early stage with approximately 12% of Holman’s general population and restrictive housing inmates relocated.
The utility systems located within the tunnel remain operational, following safe and completed maintenance outages on Feb 3, 6 and 10. The ADOC has secured an emergency contract to install sump pumps in the tunnel. The goal of installing additional sump pumps is to serve as a redundancy system in the event the current, aging pumps fail, and also assist in the removal of ground and wastewater that continues to build up within the tunnel. According to ADOC’s Engineering Division, the reduction of standing water, moisture and humidity within the tunnel should decrease the frequency of necessary maintenance outages. Given the safety concerns presented by entering the tunnel, the ADOC’s goal is to reduce needed entry to once per week following the installation, if possible.
In collaboration with third-party experts, the ADOC is working to establish an independent power source for the execution chamber, which is housed within the main facility at Holman. An independent generator which serves as a back-up power source and redundancy system for that portion of the main facility has been tested successfully. No safety or security modifications will be needed to secure the execution chamber leading up to the scheduled execution for Nathaniel Woods on March 5, 2020.
ADOC expects to continue the decommissioning process at Holman at a safe rate over the coming weeks, working to minimize disruption at receiving facilities. Inmate housing assignments are updated in real-time once they reach the receiving facility. Families and loved ones of impacted individuals can access inmate housing assignment information at any time here:Â Inmate Search.