Prison commissioner stepping down from troubled department

By KIM CHANDLER
Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn is stepping down after six years leading the troubled system that faces a Justice Department lawsuit over prison conditions. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced the change Tuesday. Ivey is appointing John Hamm, the current deputy secretary of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, as the state’s next corrections commissioner. Hamm will take over on Jan. 1. Dunn was appointed to the job in 2015. The Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit against Alabama last year, saying male inmates face unconstitutional levels of prisoner-on-prisoner and guard-on-prisoner violence.