Today I spoke to the mother of Charles Braggs, who died in solitary confinement in an Alabama prison last year. The official cause of death was suicide, but he had injuries all over his body & meth in his system. "It's been 8 months of hell because I miss my son," she said. 1/6

Braggs death is one of 4 detailed in a new court filing over suicides and "horrendously inadequate" mental healthcare in @ALCorrections. Another is Tommy McConathy, who died last month in a mental health "stabilization unit." The end of his life is an appalling account. 2/6

McConathy was the 10th to die by suicide in ADOC since May of 2019, according to the filing. He said he'd been raped in 2 different prisons & pleaded to stay in a single cell, but they planned to transfer him, despite his paranoia, hearing voices & fearing for his safety. 3/6

In May 2019, the court found "substantial and pervasive deficiencies" in ADOC's suicide prevention, but the deaths have continued, mostly in segregation. This new filing seeks to "highlight the critical need for swift implementation and monitoring of final remedial relief." 4/6

The mother of Charles Braggs wants answers about her son's death. He was 6'4" and weighed only 131 lbs when he died, 40 lbs less than when he went to prison at 17. And what caused multiple blunt force trauma & wounds all over his body? How does that happen in segregation? 5/6

Braggs was serving a 20-year sentence for robbing a Pizza Hut & stealing a car when he was 17. His mother told me he was loved by his family and he loved them. "He had a good heart," she said. "He made some mistakes when he was young but in the end, he paid with his life." 6/6