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Alabama Moves Forward With Plans To Build Three Prisons, Close Others
June 30, 2019
Alabama will plans to break ground on the first of three new prisons by mid-2020, but exactly where they will be built still remains to be seen. The stakes are high for towns like Atmore that already have prisons because many of the current prisons in the state will be closed.
The ADOC is looking for companies to build the prisons and then lease them back to the state for up to $78 million a year. The estimated total costs of the prisons is $900 million.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s administration has taken the next step in the plan, formally issuing a request for proposals to identify companies that will bid on the new prisons later in 2019.`
The locations of the new prisons have not been announced and remain open based upon the proposals from the private companies that will build them. The proposal request posted by the ADOC, however, indicates there is no chance the largest facility would be built in Atmore.
The largest prison will have 3,960 beds with about 1.1 million square feet on an estimated 216 acres. According to documents posted by the corrections department, it will be located somewhere in the central part of the state because it will house centralized services such as medical, mental health, aged care and inmate reception. That would rule out Atmore.
The state expects to execute an agreement on the largest facility by the end of 2019. Contracts for the other two facilities with about 3,072 beds each will be executed in six-month intervals in 2020.
The state will not consider awarding all three contracts to the same developer.
All three should be located, according to the ADOC, near population centers that ensure an adequate present and future employment base with an average commute of about 45 minutes. The criteria also provides locations should be within a 45 minutes average commute of existing corrections employee locations.
The third major location criteria for the two smaller prisons is access to a Level 3 trauma center in addition to other inpatient and outpatient services within 30 minute
The construction plans came after the U.S. Department of Justice found conditions in Alabama men’s prisons violate the constitution. The DOJ concluded that there is reasonable cause to believe that the men’s prisons fail to protect prisoners from prisoner-on-prisoner violence and prisoner-on-prisoner sexual abuse, and fail to provide prisoners with safe conditions.
Pictured: Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Comments
14 Responses to “Alabama Moves Forward With Plans To Build Three Prisons, Close Others”
It is very interesting in a state who holds such deep Christian values and belief in Holy Scripture. That it is nicknamed by others as the buckle of the Bible Belt. There would be such crass even vengeful comments. You ‘ll forgotten “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another”.John 13:34 The Judgment of the Nations Matthew 25:31-46 (KJV)
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Or perhaps it may well be only unchurched made previous hatred of their fellowman posts. Please do a search for Prison Fellowship to see why to help and not forget prisoners. If you wish to be angry be angry at our state legislature and governor who treats prisoners as less than human and wonders why we as a state have so many problems. Even the Federal government whose own prisons treat the incarcerated as garbage spoke out against the subhuman treatment by ADOC. In short Alabama is now forced to bring up its prisoner treatment to slightly above No Kill shelters for pets or face a federal suit. The only ones who win then are lawyers. We tax payers pay the bill for the federally mandated minimum standards.What really has me spitting cotton is the idea of some out of state corporation building the prisons and leasing them back to the state. Anybody who know anything about sharecropping knows who makes like out like a bandit while the state who would be the share cropper gets the wrong end of the stick. Guess the legislature was having a bad day to have considered such a proposal. I’m truly surprised Governor Ivey supports renting prison space as a former Alabama State Treasurer. Surely there must be the option of a Federal or private grands in combination with floating bond would be a more politically prudent answer. Creating an honorable mention in history as a Governor with compassion. The likes of which the state has not seen since the days of Gov. Lurleen Wallace
Let’s be sure to add internet for their personal computers, satellite TV, private showers, cell phones, and all the luxuries of home. Be sure the inmates aren’t inconvenienced or uncomfortable in any way. These terrible conditions are just a disgrace to all these wonderful men and women. We should be ashamed. Now, the schools….thats another story!!! We don’t need them at all!! 50 kids to a classroom isn’t too many!! DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN….PLEASE HELP THIS MESSED UP COUNTRY. MAKES ME CRY THINKING ABOUT WHAT MY GRANDDCHILDREN WILL HAVE TO ENDURE IN THE FUTURE.
If they cannot behave themselves, then lock them up.
Perhaps they could start hosting musicals and plays at the casino? Hire the former corrections officers as actors and stage personnel.
I hope they close the ones in Atmore and they build elsewhere. then maybe the riff raff that follows these prisons will move away
I am speaking from experience, because I’m currently incarcerated at a maximum security facility in Springville,Al.I witness horric things daily and something does need to be corrected.However, building more prisons isn’t going to eliminate the overcrowding or the violence without the trained personnel who will honestly be committed to the duties of their job.Building more prisons would only benefit the ones serving time and those that live within the vicinity of where the prisons will be built for employment opportunities.Which could be good, but ADOC should focus more on the recidivism rate and offer different types of assistance to those being released so hope you they will not return to prison.I can honestly say that the money being used for the construction of new prisons could have and should have been granted to the kids for better education because they are our future.
WOW! This much on prisons but Alabama has the worse school systems in the nation! Good to see your priorities Kay “scandalous” Ivey!
I can tell you from actually being incarcerated in this system a few years ago it is terrible so bad investigators call it the worst in the nation it makes national news 8 times more violent ,you arm yourself and join gangs ,drug problem is an epidemic even inmates hate it but one thing I know is I’ll do whatever I have to obey all laws and work a legitimate job anywhere to never ever put myself in the position to have to go back the system works for some ##if it ain’t broke don’t fix it
These new prisons bring more jobs! These undeserving scum as you see it
All 4 comments prior hit the nail on the head – it’s amazing how they describe the new digs for the dregs of society – the largest will have x number of beds – it should read “the largest will have x number of cages” – described like new 4 star hotel for the undeserving – it is in itself a criminal act that law abiding society has to foot the bill for criminals – the deterrence for crime is fed, clothed, housed and free medical. It should be a horrible place WITH MANDATORY HARD LABOR that should be dreaded by those that choose the criminal life – why you ask? BECAUSE IT’S PRISON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Instead of focusing on more and bigger prisons, how about throwing that expected $78M lease payment into reducing crime? Start bringing the state into current times rather than trying to keep everything like it was in the 50’s. For-profit prisons are nothing but a reason to throw people in jail so the owners get richer – i.e. Jeff Sessions.
Having prisons constructed by private companies relieves the state of the responsibility for appropriating the funds to build them, but it also traps the state into long-term “lease” agreements with profit-making entities. Given the high degree of corruption evident in Alabama’s government, the level of “profits” are likely to be tied to political favoritism.
It really irks me that the state is more concerned with coddling prisoners than they are with taking care of the elderly. I say throw the prisoners all together. They don’t deserve special care. If they had of behaved themselves they wouldn’t be there.
Building new prisons is a waste of tax payers money!!! INSTEAD make current prisons HELL and call it that! Mimic the Black Dolphin prison in Russia! Treat all the same nationwide. For you liberal idiots that don’t know about Black D… Check it out on YouTube! It’s effective!
PROBLEM- Fixed!
Why??? simple…
-Reduction of crime (everyone would know not to go to prison because it’s HELL)
Corrections, one of the, if not THE, fastest growing businesses in the USA. No wonder either, the law breakers probably outnumber the college grads 10-1, or more.
The requirements to keep a job are higher than those for a criminal. To work you must have transportation, a steady address. A criminal can do what they do at their leisure.
If you get fired from a job you are on your own until you find a new job, if a criminal gets caught the state welcomes them with 3 hots and a cot. Easy to see why corrections is a burgeoning enterprise. Guards are being hired at a rate not meeting the demand, but being a guard is a tough, dangerous job.
Billions being spent, too bad this money isn’t going towards education instead. Sad.