March 20, 2023 Group Watch: State Proceeding with Prison Project Despite Increased Costs
Several top lawmakers said they expect Alabama to proceed with its plan to build two men’s prisons after a state board raised the spending cap on the first prison to almost $1 billion. A resolution passed by the Alabama Corrections Institution Finance Authority allows the state to spend up to $972 million on the 4,000-bed prison in Elmore County. That was an increase of $352 million, or 56 percent, over the initial guaranteed maximum price of $623 million listed in a contract the state signed in April, 2022. The project is in the preliminary stages, and officials have said they expect it to be finished in 2026. The second prison, also with 4,000 beds, is slated for Escambia County. Lawmakers approved a total of $1.3 billion to build both prisons in October, 2021. The cost increases are attributed to anticipated design changes and inflation.
