New Construction: Alabama’s new $975 million prison in Elmore County

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A panel of state officials approved a resolution to set a new price of $975 million for constructing the new prison in Elmore County. Lawmakers will have to authorize more funding during the legislative session to fill that gap, reported WTVY.

Elmore County is the home to four super prisons just in the state of Alabama alone. Elmore County Commission Chairman Troy Stubbs stated, “The prisons employ an estimated 700 people, with an annual payroll of about $30 million.”

The passing of this resolution to increase the spending limit for the construction of this new super prison has received extensive backlash from many lawmakers in Alabama. Rep. Chris England tweeted, “Actual prison construction hasn’t even started yet but we are already up to a billion dollars. We haven’t even started talking about paying for the second prison yet. Add this to the billion dollars we are spending on a prison healthcare contract. This is not sustainable.”

As of 2022, Alabama spends $610 Million on mass incarceration, nearly a quarter of the state’s general fund. Many question why the state is spending so much on prisons and not putting that money into children’s education to prevent incarceration in the future.

For more information about the Alabama Department of Corrections, click HERE.

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