The Montgomery Advertiser
John Davis
February 16, 2006

Richard Allen, who served as a deputy to three attorneys general, is the new chief of the Alabama Department of Corrections.

Gov. Bob Riley has appointed Montgomery lawyer Richard Allen to head the Department of Corrections.

Allen, who served as a deputy to three attorneys general, including Troy King, officially will take over for Commissioner Donal Campbell next month, but he was working Wednesday.

"The problems facing this department aren't going to be solved in a month or a year," said Allen, who is leaving the Montgomery law firm Capell & Howard.

Unlike his predecessor, Allen has no corrections experience. He is a Vietnam veteran and has longstanding political ties in Alabama. Campbell came to the Yellowhammer State from Tennessee, where he was in charge of that state's prison system after a long career in corrections.

"I have had a lot of positions of high responsibility," said Allen, 64.

The former aide to Sen. Howell Heflin, a Democrat, and Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, when Sessions was attorney general, will take the reins of a prison system that is massively overcrowded and faces lawsuits and understaffing. He will do this while managing a growing inmate population of more than 28,000.

"Richard Allen is a can-do person who is eager to tackle this job, reform the system and bring about some needed solutions," Riley said in a prepared statement. "He is a valuable addition to what I believe to be the best Cabinet that's ever served the people of Alabama."

Riley likewise sang Campbell's praises three years ago.

"Campbell's leadership saved Tennessee taxpayers an estimated $20 million during his tenure through efforts to reduce operational cost," said a 2003 statement from Riley's office. "In Alabama, Campbell will have to do more with less."

Campbell never promised to cut prison spending in Alabama.

"I think we're in a crisis to bring on more beds more quickly," he said in 2003. "That's going to take some resources. The governor has made a commitment to look at all areas to find resources to resolve the problems that exist here in Alabama."

Campbell repeatedly asked for hundreds of millions more than Riley or the Legislature was willing to give, though funding for the Department of Corrections has increased by about $100 million since 2000.

At the same time, the resigning commissioner defended Riley's recommendation of $318 million for Corrections next year, noting that -- though far from ideal -- it was enough to get the job done next year.

"Some have called this one of the toughest jobs in state government. I believe it's the best job in state government, and I'm looking forward to the challenge," Allen said in a prepared statement.

King, Allen's old boss, said that the former deputy attorney general would bring a "fresh perspective" to the department.

"There's nobody I know that's any better at managing difficult situations," he said.

In addition, Riley named administration lawyer Vernon Barnett as chief deputy commissioner, a new title, though there are already three deputy commissioners.

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