By Bill Britt
Alabama Political Reporter
MONTGOMERY—Michael G. Hubbard has been found guilty of 12 felony counts of public corruption, and he will be sentenced for those crimes on July 8, by Judge Jacob Walker, III. What happens after his sentencing has been a question often raised, after the most powerful man in Alabama politics was found guilty by a jury of his peers. Hubbard was found guilty of 12 separate Class B felonies. Each carries a 2 to 20 year sentence and a $30,000 fine.
According to the procedure protocol in the Alabama Department of Corrections, (ALDOC), after his sentencing, the court will file the necessary paperwork and Hubbard will either be placed immediately into the custody of ALDOC or within 30 days of the filing.
Hubbard has filed an appeal to his verdict, but according to ALDOC, it would be highly unusual for him to remain out on bail pending appeal. Thus far, Judge Walker has treated Hubbard as any other felon, and he is not expected to show special preference for the former Speaker.
There are those who do not take Hubbard’s crimes so seriously, like Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise). Speaking about Hubbard’s verdict, he made it sound like he had been given a speeding ticket for doing 56 in 55 zone.
Hubbard may not have committed murder or robbed a bank, however, the FBI states public corruption is a serious crime: “Public corruption poses a fundamental threat to our national security and way of life. It impacts everything from how well our borders are secured and our neighborhoods protected…to verdicts handed down in courts…to the quality of our roads, schools, and other government services. And it takes a significant toll on our pocketbooks, wasting billions in tax dollars every year.”
After being placed in the hands the Department of Corrections, Hubbard will be taken to Kilby Correctional Facility for processing. According to ALDOC, “Kilby is a maximum-security prison because all of its inmates, those with known or unknown criminal histories, are received into the Department for further evaluation, classification, and assignment to other correctional facilities in the system.”
Located just outside of Montgomery, Kilby was established in 1969, with a capacity for 440 inmates. It was designed to be the receiving center for all male inmates. The facility has 100 two-man cells and a hospital unit.
Prisoner evaluation and classification generally takes from two weeks to a month to complete, Hubbard will most likely be transferred to a minimum security prison like Elmore Correctional Facility or Draper, but could be placed in higher risk facility because of overcrowding.
Elmore has three dormitories with a capacity for 300 inmates each, however current population for each dorm is almost 400. Rows of bunkbeds line each dormitory. There is one television in each dorm. Each has only six toilets, six sinks and three shower-heads fixed to two poles. During the Alabama Political Reporter’s recent tour of Elmore, we felt the temperature inside the dorms reach over 100 degrees. There is no air conditioning. Inmates are provided white uniforms and soft-soled shoes.
After sentencing, the State will take charge of Hubbard’s life for the duration of his sentence.
