Alabama Inquiry Finds Brutal Conditions at Pratt Mines, Companies Ignore It

A state inquiry into the Pratt Coal and Iron Company's mines near Birmingham documents systematic brutality: convicts whipped for failing to meet coal quotas, denied medical care, housed in flooded shafts. Inspectors record whipping rates of dozens of lashes per infraction. The companies — including those connected to B.B. Comer — ignore the findings. The legislature takes no action. Nearly all convicts are Black men.