Deal will keep the new prison in Atmore

Alabama State Sen. Greg Albritton and State Rep. Alan Baker said the Alabama Legislature's ability to approve a $1.3 billion package to build two new prisons in the state is the first step toward overhauling the state prison system and also secures that one of the prisons will be built in Escambia County.

During a special session called by Gov. Kay Ivey, the legislature approved three bills that provide for a 4,000-bed facility in Elmore County and another 4,000-bed facility in Atmore next to the current Holman Prison.

Funding will come from a $785 million bond issue; using $400 million in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan and $154 million from the state General Fund. It was noted that the state plans to use $19 million from the General Fund to purchase the Perry County Correctional Center, a private 700-bed prison in Uniontown that now sits vacant.

Sen. Albritton, who helped develop the plan during committee meetings over the summer, said he was pleased the Legislature was able to come into special session and pass the plan in five days.

"I've been heavily involved in this thing since the beginning because Alabama needs it," Albritton said. "It took us decades to get in such bad shape with our prisons."

The U.S. Department of Justice has threatened lawsuits and a possible federal takeover of the state's prison system if the issue isn't addressed.

"It was time, regardless of the DOJ said," Albritton said. "I couldn't ask people to come in and work in these conditions. It's filthy."

Albritton added that the threats from DOJ certainly helped the governor and Legislature focus on the issue.

Albritton said he's been inside Holman and Kilby prisons, and the conditions were terrible.

"The smell would knock you out," Albritton said. "You had an overall feeling of not being safe, it was very unpleasant."

Albritton noted that correctional officers went to those facilities every day working in filthy and unsafe environments.

"Inmates are not there by choice, but correctional officers have a choice," he said. "Some correctional officers don't make it home. We have to make prisons safer for our correctional officers."

Albritton also said keeping the prison in Atmore, on land currently owned by the state, was also a top priority to him.

"Jobs are important in my district," Albritton said. "My job is to keep jobs in my district."

He said Holman Prison is about to shut down and only houses about 1,000 inmates, which means less jobs.

"Since we own the land and have employees, it makes sense to put it there," Albritton said.

Albritton said another key in pushing the prison plan was not to have the state borrow all the money to fund the projects.

"I looked at this from the left and right, upwards and downwards knowing this is the most pressing need in the state of Alabama," Albritton said.

Albritton said the $154 million from the General Fund was money the Legislature has set aside for this project and said the prison in Escambia County would be paid for with cash.

He also said using the plans generated when the state attempted to have private companies build the prisons and then lease them back to the state will be used.

"We saved $75 million right there," he said. "They were plans we had already paid for and we're putting it on land we already own. Alabama should be proud of this. We took a problem and took the first step toward solving it."

Albritton also said he expects construction on the new prison in Atmore to begin in January.

Rep. Baker said it was a joint effort with the Legislature, the executive branch and the Alabama Department of Corrections to get the bills through.