ELMORE COUNTY, Ala. — The sites for all three new Alabama prison facilities have been selected.
Early in September, sites in Bibb County (Facility 1) and Escambia County (Facility 3) were announced. The site in Elmore County will be for Facility 2.
According to Governor Kay Ivey's office, which made the announcements, the facilities will add approximately 37% more programming space per inmate, as well as increased educational, training, and recreational/exercise space, allowing more meaningful visitation for inmates and their loved ones. They are also projected to have four times more celled spaces than open dorms as compared to our current facilities. The goal is to reduce the potential for violent incidents to occur, enhance safety for correctional officers and inmates, and improve quality of working conditions for staff.
The state plans to negotiate long-term leases for each new facility.
The construction of each facility, which is expected to begin in early 2021, will bring between 2,800 and 3,900 jobs the the counties.
Another change to the Alabama Prison System may be the use of Perry County Correctional Facility in Uniontown as a transitional center for inmates who are preparing to re-enter society, providing adequate and evidence-based programming while preparing inmates for re-entry. The goal of this is to enhance the Department’s rehabilitation strategy.
