Alabama Corrections Commissioner Steps Down

0:00It's April 29th. From your city to your ears, this is Birmingham News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story, Alabama's Department of Corrections Commissioner. John Q. Ham is stepping down on April 30th, 2026, after more than four years at the helm and over 40 years in law enforcement. Governor Kay Ivey dropped the news Tuesday, tapping current Chief Deputy Greg Lovelace to step in starting Friday and serve through the end of her. This fall, Ham jumped into the rollback in 2022 from the state law enforcement agency, bringing deep experience from running investigations and sheriff duties. He pushed pay hikes for officers, parter with community colleges to speed of hiring, crack down on staff smuggling contraband, and oversaw. Construction of a billion dollar, 4,000 bed, mega prison, and Elmore County, Alabama's first new one since the 1990s. The governor hailed Ham's tenure as exceptional and transformative, saying the system is stronger now than when she started in 2017.

1:03Ham called it the honor of his life, crediting team support for real progress amid tough conditions. Even with those winds, Alabama prisons face massive overcrowding, packing over 21,000 inmates into space for just 12,000 plus. Federal lawsuits over violence that predated his time there. His watch also saw the nation's first nitrogen gas executions. Lovelace brings over 30 years in corrections and nearly 50 in law enforcement, and Ivy expects his steady hand to keep building on the gains. For staff, inmates in public safety as the system evolves.