A prison corridor in Holman Correctional Facility in 2019. Cases pending in municipal courts can complicate reentry for people serving time in state prison. (File)
A Mountain Brook municipal judge told the Alabama Commission on Re-Entry Thursday that those about to be released from prison could face local cases they may not have considered.
“As part of re-entry, from a municipal court standpoint, I am trying to impress upon you that there is something there that we need to deal with because reentry, when they come out, if they have got these cases throughout municipal courts, it can trip them up,” said K.C. Hairston, the vice president of the Alabama Municipal Judges Association. “They are trying to get a fresh start, but now they are right back into this system.”
During his presentation to committee members, Hairston compared those about to be released who have assistance dealing with those pending cases and any potential penalties that may be waiting, and those who do not realize they have additional cases in municipal court resulting from past behavior, those that they may have forgotten about or did not resolve.