John Hamm, the commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections, speaks during a budget hearing at the Alabama Statehouse on Jan. 29, 2026 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Hamm announced his retirement Tuesday. He will be replaced by Greg Lovelace as commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm announced his retirement Tuesday amid ongoing violence in state prisons and within days of the department suddenly canceling a $1 billion healthcare contract with a Tennessee company.
Gov. Kay Ivey announced Hamm’s departure in a news release on Tuesday, saying ADOC Deputy Commissioner Greg Lovelace will succeed him and serve through the end of her term in January.
Ivey said Hamm, who became commissioner in 2022, deserved “a ton of credit for our progress across the spectrum.”
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“Tackling challenges that come with any correctional system is multilayered, and I look forward to building on the progress we are making in the months ahead,” the statement said.
The department has faced issues with overcrowding and violence for decades, which has led to federal and state lawsuits. Alabama Appleseed, a criminal justice reform organization based in Birmingham, reported that 325 people died while in ADOC custody in 2023. While the number fell to about 202 last year, criminal justice experts said that was still three times the national average.
About 25% of deaths that occurred over the last six years were drug-related while 6% were homicides.
Hamm faced sustained criticism from friends and family with loved ones within the prisons over abuse, allegations of corruption by corrections officers, violence perpetrated by people within the facility against others, sustained overdose deaths and constant shortages of staff unable to adequately manage the population within the correctional facilities.
Legislators from both parties have also expressed mounting frustration with the system. Several lawmakers said at a meeting of the Joint Prison Oversight Committee last week that ADOC was not answering their questions in a timely manner. Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, said that he has yet to get a response about questions he posed the agency about the fate of people featured in “The Alabama Solution,” a documentary aired on HBO last year that used video taken by inmates to expose violence within state prisons.
The departure comes a few days after ADOC officials said they terminated a $1 billion health services contract that was awarded to Tennessee-based YesCare in 2023, over some legislators’ objections. The Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts is preparing to audit one of the state’s prisons in response to legislation filed by Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia.
England and Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, another member of the Joint Prison Oversight Committee, both declined comment on Tuesday. Messages seeking comment were sent to Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville and civil rights groups.
Hamm said in the statement that it was “the honor of my life to serve in Gov. Ivey’s administration.”
“When I started at Corrections in 2022, Governor Ivey gave me the charge of making the Department better and with her support, as well as the support of her staff and the hardworking men and women of ADOC, we have accomplished that.”
Lovelace will replace Hamm for the remaining few months. According to the news release, he has more than 30 years of experience related to prisons and oversaw construction projects and managed the prisons while at the ADOC.
“There have been longstanding challenges facing Corrections, and Governor Ivey decided she would tackle those head on, and we have made progress because of it,” Lovelace said. “I am honored to serve under Governor Ivey’s leadership and am grateful also to Commissioner Hamm for all that he has poured into ADOC.”
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Author: Ralph Chapoco