U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell released a statement regarding the plan by Alabama officials to build new prisons using $400 million of federal COVID-19 relief funds from the American Rescue Plan. Gov. Kay Ivey called lawmakers back to Montgomery on Monday to vote on a $1.3 billion prison construction plan that will use $400 million from the state’s virus relief funds to build three new prisons and renovate others. The bill also calls for two policy changes pertaining to sentencing standards and mandatory supervision of inmates.
Sewell stated, “In March, I proudly joined my Democratic colleagues in voting to pass the American Rescue Plan, transformational legislation designed to protect our people and rescue our economy from the COVID-19 pandemic. The package included critically important relief for Alabama workers, families and businesses, and over $2 billion for the State of Alabama to aid in its COVID-19 response.”
“I am deeply disturbed to learn that the State of Alabama is considering a plan to use $400 million of COVID-19 aid from the American Rescue Plan to build prisons, especially as COVID-19 rages on in our state! Alabama currently has the highest COVID-19 death rate in the country. To be clear, the current state of the Alabama prison system is abhorrent, but the use of COVID-19 relief funds to pay for decades of our state’s neglect is simply unacceptable,” she continued.
“COVID-19 relief money should be used for COVID-19 relief. Period.”
The Alabama Legislature met on Monday during a special session to consider the plan. Committee meetings began this morning.
