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YouTube videos filmed by inmates shows violence, drug use inside Ala. prisons

The clips, which are being shot on illegal cellphones, show inmates using the drug “flakka” as well as inmates attacking and threatening each other

By Sarah Calams

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A YouTube channel going back more than four years shows inmates fighting and taking drugs inside Alabama prisons.

The clips are shot on illegal cellphones and posted on YouTube, WSFA.com reported. A video uploaded in 2018 shows inmates with Alabama Department of Corrections-issued clothing beating another inmate. A couple of months later, another video shows an inmate slapping another while warning him that it “only takes one phone call” if he crosses his gang again – even after he’s released.

The most recently uploaded videos show inmates using the drug “flakka,” a synthetic drug similar to bath salts. In the videos, inmates can be seen rolling around or stumbling on the floor.

ADOC officials declined to comment on the videos, but a spokesperson said “possession/use of contraband cellphone by an inmate is criminal behavior,” according to the report.

“Contraband cellphones can also be used for other, more dangerous criminal activities,” the ADOC spokesperson continued. “As such, the department actively monitors for illegal cellphone use, seeking to eliminate contraband devices from our facilities and enforce law and policy for corrective action whenever possible. The presence of illegal cellphones, unfortunately, is a challenging and complex issue that affects every correctional system in the country.”

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