Hell Exists On Earth? Yes.

Alabama’s entire prison system is essentially one massive violation of the Eight Amendment:

One prisoner had been dead for so long that when he was discovered lying face down, his face was flattened. Another was tied up and tortured for two days while no one noticed. Bloody inmates screamed for help from cells whose doors did not lock.

Those were some of the gruesome details in a 56-page report on the Alabama prison system that was issued by the Justice Department on Wednesday. The report, one of the first major civil rights investigations by the department to be released under President Trump, uncovered shocking conditions in the state’s massively overcrowded and understaffed facilities.

Prisoners in the Alabama system endured some of the highest rates of homicide and rape in the country, the Justice Department found, and officials showed a “flagrant disregard” for their right to be free from excessive and cruel punishment. The investigation began in the waning days of the Obama administration and continued for more than two years after Mr. Trump took office.

The department notified the prison system that it could sue in 49 days “if State officials have not satisfactorily addressed our concerns.”

I think we can pretty safe in assuming that the changes the administration that brought you Neil Gorsuch will request will be, ah, modest.