MORE PUSHBACK OVER PLANS TO BUILD MEGA PRISONS IN ALABAMA SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS ARE WORKING TOGETHER OPPOSING ALABAMA’S PLAN TO SELL 725 MILLION DOLLARS IN BONDS TO FINANCE CONSTRUCTION OF TWO NEW SUPER-SIZED PRISONS, ALABAMA PRISON CONDITIONS ARE STILL THE FOCUS OF A DOJ INVESTIGATION AND LAWSUIT. THERE HAVE BEEN COUNTLESS COMPLAINTS OVER OVERCROWDING AND SAFETY AMONG BOTH INMATES AND STAFF. THE STATE IS EXPECT
Groups oppose Alabama's $725M bond sale for building new mega prisons
Updated: 8:09 PM CDT Jun 27, 2022
A coalition of advocacy groups is opposing Alabama's plan to sell $725 million in bonds to finance the construction of two new mega prisons. The Communities Not Prisons non-profit organization and other advocacy groups issued statements Monday opposing the bond sale. The Alabama Corrections Institution Finance Authority, chaired by Gov. Kay Ivey, met last week and approved the bond sale. The state is expected to go to the bond market on Tuesday.The supersize prisons are expected to house up to 4,000 inmates and replace some of the state's oldest and deteriorating facilities. State officials touted the new prison project as a partial solution to Alabama's longstanding prison woes. Critics argue the state is focused on building expensive facilities and ignoring bigger issues like overcrowding and understaffing.In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Alabama over conditions in the state prisons. In 2021, the DOJ said inmate homicides had increased and prison conditions had not improved despite years of warnings.In 2017, a former Alabama Department of Corrections officer at the St. Clair Correctional Facility told WVTM13 he believed the entire state prison system was in desperate need of a complete overhaul.Get the WVTM 13 app for the latest updates on this story.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A coalition of advocacy groups is opposing Alabama's plan to sell $725 million in bonds to finance the construction of two new mega prisons.
The Communities Not Prisons non-profit organization and other advocacy groups issued statements Monday opposing the bond sale. The Alabama Corrections Institution Finance Authority, chaired by Gov. Kay Ivey, met last week and approved the bond sale. The state is expected to go to the bond market on Tuesday.
The supersize prisons are expected to house up to 4,000 inmates and replace some of the state's oldest and deteriorating facilities.
State officials touted the new prison project as a partial solution to Alabama's longstanding prison woes. Critics argue the state is focused on building expensive facilities and ignoring bigger issues like overcrowding and understaffing.
In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Alabama over conditions in the state prisons.
In 2021, the DOJ said inmate homicides had increased and prison conditions had not improved despite years of warnings.
In 2017, a former Alabama Department of Corrections officer at the St. Clair Correctional Facility told WVTM13 he believed the entire state prison system was in desperate need of a complete overhaul.
Get the WVTM 13 app for the latest updates on this story.