Recent editorials from Alabama newspapers:

Aug. 13

The Dothan Eagle on an Alabamian who is continuing a mission to mow lawns for free:

In dog days like these, just the idea of trying to crank a lawnmower will make some folks dizzy - never mind actually mowing the yard. That’s just a small part of what makes Rodney Smith Jr. of Huntsville an admirable man.

Smith has turned mowing into a movement borne of the kind act of cutting an elderly neighbor’s grass free because he could.

Since then, he’s traveled the country five times mowing lawns without charge for the elderly, veterans, single parents and disabled people.

It’s inspirational. But Smith didn’t stop there. With a social media campaign, Smith and Raising Men Lawn Care Service created the 50 Yard Challenge urging youngsters around the world to mow lawns for elderly people, veterans, single parents and disabled people without charge. For every 10 yards mowed, the youngsters get a t-shirt. The initiative has gained 100,000 supporters, with 445 youngsters having accepted the challenge, resulting in more than 5,000 yards mowed in kindness.

Today (Aug. 13), Smith embarks on another 50 state/50 lawn tour, and will be inviting police officers to join him and try out a police-themed mower he’s built.

Meanwhile, his movement has resulted in the establishment of eight chapters, where local youngsters extend their generosity in their own communities.

We’re proud to call Smith an Alabamian. He’s not only helping those who benefit from his kindness, he’s introducing a new generation to the rewards of selfless generosity.

Online: https://www.dothaneagle.com/

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Aug. 8

The TimesDaily and Decatur Daily on efforts to improve Alabama’s prison system:

Alabama has put its hopes for criminal justice reform in the hands of a study group that is gathering data it will use to make recommendations ahead of the 2020 legislative session.

Gov. Kay Ivey convened the criminal justice study commission in July. The governor, the state attorney general, the state prison commissioner, former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Champ Lyons, several legislators and others will serve on the group.

The formation of the group is a step by the state to avoid a Department of Justice lawsuit over worsening prison conditions. Earlier this year, the DOJ condemned the state’s prison system, saying it was plagued by “rampant violence,” ”unchecked extortion” and “severe and widespread sexual abuse.”

In 2017, a federal judge ruled the state has provided “horrendously inadequate” care to mentally ill inmates and ordered changes.

A study conducted last year by the Equal Justice Initiative showed Alabama’s prisons have become the most lethal in the nation. The EJI study found 35 prisoners have been murdered in state prison facilities in the past five years.

Compounding the problems is a serious overcrowding issue. Today, the state’s prisons are home to nearly twice as many people as they were designed to hold.

And last week, the Alabama Daily News reported that in the past two years, the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles had paroled more than 3,500 violent offenders in an effort to reduce the overcrowding.

Considering these statistics, the study group’s task is formidable. Ivey seems to understand this.

“We have a problem in Alabama and we have waited too long to address it,” she wrote at the time she announced the study group’s formation. “The path forward to resolve these problems is clear and obvious. However, this path is neither quick nor simple.”

The commission’s ultimate recommendations will be data driven, said the governor. Its members will pore over statistics on recidivism and sentencing, violence, inmate deaths and staffing shortages, as well as prison populations and construction of new prisons.

The overall goal of the commission is to avoid litigation with the federal government.

“A tough decision will have to be made in the very near future,” wrote Ivey. And if the governor has any hopes of making “Trouble in Alabama prisons” a headline of the past, state lawmakers must come to grips with that reality before next year’s legislative session gets underway.

Online: https://www.timesdaily.com/ and https://www.decaturdaily.com/

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Aug. 8

The Gadsden Times on first responders and the impact of stress in their jobs:

People are quick to praise first responders - police, fire and emergency medical personnel - for their heroic, often life-saving actions.

They’re placed on pedestals as the best society has to offer - as people who stay tough and focused in the worst possible situations and under the worst kind of stress.

Living human beings don’t get to stay permanently on pedestals, however. Eventually they have to step down, and clock out from their jobs and go home. And when that happens, the toughness and ability to deal with stress is increasingly dissipating.

The Ruderman Family Foundation, in a study cited by the Vox website, found that first responders, in particular police officers and firefighters, are more likely to die by suicide than to be killed in the line of duty.

Vox also cited figures from Blue HELP and the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, which showed that through mid-June, there had been 97 law enforcement and 46 firefighter/EMS suicides in the U.S. this year. Those are verified deaths; according to Vox, fire/EMS suicides could be undercounted by as much as 60 percent.

The website also cited a study in the Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association that found first responders in the U.S. and Canada have higher rates of alcohol abuse, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder than the general population.

The reason for these disturbing trends is obvious. It’s not easy for first responders to forget, or leave at the office, the horrific and often tragic things they must deal with on the job.

That’s not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign that they’re human beings - and human beings often need help.

About 90 local and area first responders attended a session hosted by the Gadsden Fire Department this week at The Venue at Coosa Landing. Material from the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance designed to help people in those roles cope with stress was distributed.

The material approaches the issue on two fronts - helping individuals assess their own frames of mind to see if potential problems are developing, and helping them recognize whether colleagues might be having issues.

We know these can be touchy situations. People are conditioned to keep personal problems to themselves by a society that values “getting up when you get knocked down” toughness and discourages “complaining” and “griping.” They’re also conditioned not to get involved in other folks’ business.

Well, we think toughness is an admirable trait; unwarranted complaints and griping absolutely can turn into so much noise; and no one likes a busybody.

We also think such “rules” are irrelevant when it comes to the destructive crisis first responders are facing.

We commend the Gadsden Fire Department for hosting this program, and we hope Chief Stephen Carroll’s concern that “some of the guys will take it to that nth degree before asking for help” will prove unwarranted.

First responders willingly risk their lives to care for others. They should do the same for the man or woman in the mirror.

Online: https://www.gadsdentimes.com/

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