I drive by the sign every time I head south on Hwy. 21 to the interstate. The sign says William C. Holman Correctional Facility. Most of the time the gate is raised, the road is open to driving past the prison and the area is quiet.
On rare days the gate is down, the traffic increases and armed agents from the State Department of Corrections are on duty. This signifies execution day at Holman.
As a longtime member of the Alabama Press Corp, I went to witness the execution of Christopher Lee Price. I witnessed an execution in the late 70s when Alabama’s electric chair, “Yellow Mama,” was in use...