A civil suit was filed Tuesday to enjoin a prison lease plan by the Alabama Department of Corrections and Gov. Kay Ivey.
The suit alleges that the prison lease plan is illegal in that it did not receive approval by the Alabama legislature and other legal deficiencies.
The Montgomery County Circuit Court filing was made by Montgomery attorney Kenny Mendelson on behalf of four plaintiffs. Mendelson had been the attorney in the first civil suit against then-governor Robert Bentley that paved the way to Bentley’s resignation.
Four plaintiffs bringing the suit are State Auditor Jim Zeigler (R); State Rep. John Rogers of Birmingham (D); Leslie Ogburn, a homeowner near the proposed prison site outside Tallassee, Alabama; and prisoner rights activist Rev. Kenny Glasgow of Dothan.
Zeigler said there was a strategic decision to file a bi-partisan suit.
“This prison plan would be a 30-year mistake. It would force Alabama taxpayers to pay rents starting at $94 million a year and going up to $106 million. At the end of 30 years, the state would own equity in the prisons of zero. No equity. This is a bad business plan,” Zeigler said.
“The plan does not address the problems in the prison system – safety of staff and other inmates; overcrowding; mental health; suicide; recidivism; and inadequate job training. The plan merely throws over $3.6 billion of taxpayer money at the problems,” Zeigler said.
“We thought this plan had been killed off April 19 when the two largest underwriters pulled out of the project, but the Ivey administration is stubbornly pushing forward. There are two giant signed contracts already executed. This lawsuit is needed to make sure the plan is good and dead,” Zeigler said.
Here is a copy of the civil suit.
