The governor’s plan to improve prison conditions cited in a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice has run into a pair of hurdles – time and money.
Gov. Kay Ivey has made building two so-called megaprisons a focus of her plan to improve the living conditions for the state’s inmates. She recently told “Capitol Journal” host Todd Stacy building the second of those prisons “may take more time.”
“I am working closely with the legislators on this issue,” Ivey said. “I have committed $100 million out of my budget for the general fund to go to the Escambia County prison. We all want the second. We can’t do without it – we have to have the second prison.”
Legislators were originally told the two megaprisons would cost $1.2 billion. The second phase of the plan was to upgrade prisons and eventually to replace the World War II-era Tutwiler women’s prison.
According to the latest estimates, the new megaprison in Elmore County is going to cost more than $1.2 billion.
“Working with the legislators may take some more time; but we have got to get it done,” Ivey told Stacy. “We are monitoring that very carefully. We all know we need the second prison; and we are going to find a way to fund it; but it could may take a little more time than we planned on.”
Ivey said shelving plans to build the Escambia County facility, which was estimated to cost $860 million, is not an option.
“We are working not only with (ADOC Commissioner) John Hamm; but also with legislators to get their input and they have been very responsive; but we are facing facts and the costs have escalated and change orders have gone up, so it is a big nut to crack; but we are going to stick with it, because we have got to have two modern prisons.”
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