Former Alabama governor is stuck in solitary since call to talk show, his son says (AL Bar Ass'n)

Posted Dec 11, 2015 06:59 am CST

By Debra Cassens Weiss

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman was sent to solitary confinement after calling a liberal talk show from prison and alleging his prosecution was politically motivated, according to his son.

The Alabama Democrat has been in solitary since Oct. 15, when he called the talk show, said his son, lawyer Joseph Siegelman. The Associated Press, WIAT and the Montgomery Advertiser have stories.

The former governor “is not allowed to see any family or speak to anyone,” Joseph Siegelman told the Montgomery Advertiser. “He is completely and utterly in isolation.” Don Siegelman is limited to written communication with his lawyers, who are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review his conviction for bribery and obstruction of justice, Joseph Siegelman said.

Don Siegelman asserted during the phone call that his prosecution by a Republican Justice Department “smacks of political motivation, at the very least.” He said he is helping other inmates and is focused on criminal justice reform.

Joseph Siegelman said there are no prison regulations that bar inmates from talking with the media. Prison officials haven’t explained why his father is in solitary, Joseph Siegelman said.
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http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/former_alabama_governor_is_stuck_in_solitary_since_call_to_talk_show_his_so/

video of Sacks/Siegelman phone interview:

There seem to have been no prison policy violated by this phone call, whose nature was known in advance to prison officials. This is strictly harrassment verging on torture, all under the fig leaf of "justice".