MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Legislators in Alabama are looking to borrow an extra $500 million aimed specifically at constructing prisons, following an increase in costs for the state’s large new prison project, which have now surpassed $1 billion. This elevation in expenses has complicated the initial plans to construct a second large facility.
On Wednesday, the Senate Finance and Taxation Committee-General Fund moved forward with a bill that allows the Alabama Corrections Institution Finance Authority to increase the total bonds it can issue from $785 million to $1.285 billion. The bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Greg Albritton, emphasized that this expanded borrowing capacity is crucial for ensuring the completion of a second prison with a capacity of 4,000 beds, to be situated in Escambia County, in addition to the one now being constructed in Elmore County.
The legislation will now advance to the full Alabama Senate for further consideration.
“This flexibility will provide us with the necessary resources to fulfill our objective: to construct two operational prisons,” stated Albritton.
In 2021, Alabama’s legislative body authorized a $1.3 billion initiative to build two large prisons and renovate existing facilities as part of a strategy to address issues within an overcrowded and violent prison system. However, with the expenses for one prison exceeding $1 billion, the feasibility of building a second facility has come into question. Albritton mentioned that while there is enough funding to begin construction on the second prison, completing it remains uncertain at this stage.
Concerns were raised by some committee members regarding the unpredictability of the first prison’s costs, which escalated beyond initial estimates, prompting skepticism about current financial projections for the second facility.
“My concern is whether these numbers are accurate. Are we even able to ascertain that at this moment?” expressed Sen. Merika Coleman, a Democrat representing Pleasant Grove. “With a new administration in place, along with tariffs affecting steel and overall construction expenses, and the workforce challenges we’re facing, there are a lot of uncertainties.”
Critics of the 2021 prison construction plan argue that merely building new facilities will not remedy the systemic issues plaguing the state’s prison system.
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Alabama in 2020, citing that the male prison facilities are “saturated with violence among prisoners and between guards and inmates.” This lawsuit remains active and is projected to go to trial in 2026.
A report from the Justice Department in 2019 acknowledged that the unsatisfactory living conditions contributed to what was deemed unconstitutional treatment but stressed that “constructing new facilities on their own will not address the underlying causes of the prevailing unconstitutional conditions within ADOC prisons, such as understaffing, cultural issues, managerial flaws, corruption, outdated policies, inadequate training, and the prevalence of violence, illicit substances, and sexual abuse.”
Alabama Corrections Commissioner John Hamm has compared the new $1 billion facility to a small city, highlighting its extensive layout, which encompasses 54 buildings across 335 acres designed to accommodate inmates along with offering comprehensive medical, mental health, and substance abuse treatment services. In November, the Alabama Department of Corrections announced that this new facility would be named in honor of Governor Kay Ivey.
