One of the hurdles to overcome in order to rectify Alabama’s woeful prison conditions is the staffing dilemma that confronts the Alabama Department of Corrections at each of their facilities.

Former U.S. Attorney Jay Town, who was serving in the Justice Department when it initiated its actions against the State of Alabama for alleged Eighth Amendment violations, urged state policymakers to consider “creative ways” to fix the problem.

One such proposal he offered during an appearance on Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5’s “The Jeff Poor Show” was to allow retired law enforcement to work at ADOC facilities and still be able to draw retirement benefits while they were employed.

“[W]e have to find creative ways to get experiences law enforcement professionals inside of our prisons,” he said. “You know, one great way is the way Birmingham P.D. did it … The State of Alabama allowed them to hire retired officers, and they could come and work at B.P.D., get a full check and still maintain their retirement because B.P.D. was so short on staffing. They needed good help. They needed leadership. At the time, they were the largest city in the state — certainly the largest county, the largest metropolis area of the state.”

“We could do the same thing with our prisons, and we can get instant leadership, instant experience,” Town continued. “We could abate some of the staffing issues in most of our prisons and really get those staffing numbers up. The more eyeballs you have, the less violence there is going to be. Again, there’s a direct correlation between levels of staffing and levels of violence.”

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly, and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.