MONTGOMERY, AL – For PDF of news release with photos, please click here.
The State of Alabama and the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) are committed to the state’s prison modernization plan, authorized by the Legislature, and signed into law by Governor Kay Ivey in 2021. The plan is for bed replacement – not the addition of new beds into the state’s prison system.
The first phase of this plan includes the newly named Governor Kay Ivey Correctional Complex, previously called the Elmore Specialized Men’s
Facility. The facility is now approximately 47% complete and the targeted completion date is May of 2026. The Alabama Corrections Institution
Finance Authority (ACIFA) recently passed a resolution naming the facility in the Governor’s honor.
This state-of-the-art Corrections Complex will provide infrastructure to offer enhanced medical and mental health services including substance abuse treatment, rehabilitative programming, and vocational training. It will have 54 buildings with 1,438,448 Gross Square Feet and will house 4,000 male inmates with intake capability. The overall perimeter fenced area encompasses 335 acres.
The enhanced medical and mental health services will include:
- • 720 medical complex beds to include acute medical, general infirmary, nursing home/memory care,
mental health, and stabilization;
- • Confidential treatment space for mental healthcare;
- • Programming space for structured out-of-cell activities such as dayrooms, classroom space, and outdoor
recreation areas.
Bed space in the complex is designed for maximum flexibility and additional beds may be used for mental health capacity if needed. Current programming includes designation of 256 medium custody beds for mental health purposes.
The utility requirements for a facility this large are extensive. Substantial construction has been completed on the 1M gallon water tank, which will provide an independent water source. It will also have a conditioned air environment, a sanitary sewer lift station and emergency power generation sufficient to run the basic operations of the complex.
Staffing is a critical piece of the modernization plan and the design of this Corrections Complex will support a reduction of burden on staff resources. For example, the new facility will have 71% cells to 29% dorms, which controls inmate movement. The current state facility cell-to-dorm ratio is 18% cells to 82% dorms. Additionally, sight lines are maximized for inmate observation and overall building functionality will be more efficient. This new Corrections Complex will create a safer, more secure environment for inmates and security personnel allowing the ADOC to better recruit and retain professional staff.
A facility in Escambia County is also authorized in phase one of the legislation and is in the planning stage. A design services agreement, recently approved by ACIFA, will allow design of the 4,000 bed Escambia County facility to progress in two parts. ACIFA approval of project fund expenditures of up to $150M will further allow advancement of early sitework construction and related activities.
Site work to date for the new Escambia Men’s Facility has included limited demolition of structures on the new site, which is adjacent to Fountain Correctional Facility (CF). Consistent with the bed-replacement intent of the legislation, Fountain CF will be demolished and removed from service in connection with the construction and opening of the new Escambia facility.
The legislation also includes provisions supporting the participation of minority business enterprises in all phases of the work. The ADOC has established a Minority Vendor Program to support minority businesses in competing for various parts of the overall project.
Media inquiries should be directed to the ADOC Public Information Office at ADOC.Media@doc.alabama.gov.
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