Alabama sued by DoJ over 'systematic' violence in state prisons

State criticizes brazen federal overreach' after DoJ report details serious violence to which officials are deliberately indifferent'

The US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against Alabama over conditions in the state prisons, saying the state is failing to protect inmates from violence and excessive force at the hands of prison staff.

The lawsuit alleges that conditions in the prison system - which the justice department called one of the most understaffed and violent in the country - are so poor that they violate the ban on cruel and unusual punishment and that state officials are deliberately indifferent" to the problems. The lawsuit comes after the justice department twice released investigative reports that accused the state of violating prisoners' rights.