It is time to end Alabama’s draconian Habitual Felony Offender Act, which ensnares hundreds of older individuals for life or life without parole sentences for offenses that would result in much shorter sentences under today’s laws.

We support HB 107 (a repeal of the current HFOA law) for the following reasons:

• Hundreds of people in Alabama are serving life without parole sentences for crimes that resulted in no physical injury
• The 1980s-era law has been applied with staggering racial bias as 75% of people sentenced to die in prison under the HFOA are Black
• This group of prisoners is disproportionately older (50 and above), including many with strong records of rehabilitation, thus low risk for recidivism. It is counterproductive to research and evidence to keep them incarcerated
• Alabama taxpayers continue to spend exhaustive amounts of money on housing incarcerated individuals who have been rehabilitated for decades