Pastor urges treatment, structured dorms and cultural overhaul in prison testimony

Pastor Robert White, who leads Roll'em Ministries at Kilby Correctional Facility and serves as pastor of Montgomery City of Refuge, told the committee that ministry volunteers and incarcerated members run much of the worship programming and urged the legislature to focus on treatment and cultural change.

White said an acronym he had used—SIDE (structure, incentive, discipline, education)—should include treatment, and he now refers to the approach as STRIDE to emphasize revisiting cases and offering treatment for people who are addicted. “If you're addicted to drugs, the conviction did not solve the problem,” White said, arguing the state must fund treatment both for those nearing release and for people currently incarcerated.

White also pushed for more structured dorms to alter daily peer dynamics and reduce pathologies he described among unstructured populations. He told lawmakers his sessions at Kilby average 150–200 participants and last about two hours, and he urged the committee to appoint a panel of pastors to advise on recommended environmental and programmatic changes.

Several lawmakers echoed White’s emphasis on culture and accountability. Representative England and others noted prior federal supervision of Tutwiler and raised concerns about women's access to sanitary items. Members asked DOC to consider cultural issues alongside construction and program investments.

White framed his testimony as a moral and practical appeal: “Our culture needs to change … we’re dealing with human beings and we’re all going to be held accountable by God on how we deal with the least of these,” he said, urging treatment, education and structured living environments as part of a long-term solution.