 Furthermore, Fifth Circuit precedent that was binding on the state of Alabama—forbidding "handcuffing inmates to the fence and to cells for long periods of time, and forcing inmates to stand, sit, or lie on crates, stumps, or otherwise maintain awkward positions for prolonged periods"—should have notified the guards that using the hitching post violated the Eighth Amendment.Finally, an Alabama Department of Corrections regulation required guards to maintain a log of the inmate's needs for water and bathroom breaks while tied to the hitching post, and required the guards to release the inmate if he told them he was ready to return to work.However, evidence in this case showed that the guards did not maintain such a log during the June incident, and evidence in a related case showed that Alabama prison guards routinely disregarded the regulation's recordkeeping requirement and release conditions.