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| Expert: Ala. Needs Six New Prisons |
| By The Birmingham News |
| Published: 06/04/2003 |
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A report by Carter Goble Associates Inc. said the state should build new prisons with space for 11,420 inmates at an estimated cost of $765 million; and repair, remodel and expand existing prisons at a cost of about $142 million. Planning and designs for the projects would cost about $27 million. 'Overcrowding, underfunding and understaffing is seriously compromising safe, effective and efficient operations as well as treatment and rehabilitation programs,' said Robert T. Goble, principal spokesman for the consulting firm. 'Whatever changes are made, the chronic and pervasive under-staffing of Alabama's correctional facilities must end,' the report stated. Otherwise, 'the entire DOC system will continue to degrade and staff attrition and recruitment will probably worsen.' Goble's report, which cost about $150,000, was commissioned by the Siegelman administration last year as part of a court-ordered plan to remove hundreds of state convicts from county jails around the state. All lawmakers were invited to the presentation in the Legislature's joint briefing room, but only a few showed up. 'It's an excellent report, something I think was needed for this department,' said Prison Commissioner Donal Campbell. 'I'm not suggesting that we spend a billion dollars to correct the problems that we have here today, but we are going to have to spend monies, resources, to do what must be done if we plan to continue to incarcerate offenders,' said Campbell. 'We can do this on our own, or in some form we'll be told to do it.' The study attempted to look at what would be needed over the next 10 years to bring the Alabama prison system up to American Correctional Association national standards. Goble said the state's major prisons house 24,251 inmates but are designed for 12,598. The prisons could be remodeled to adequately house 15,579 inmates, and they could be expanded to house 4,000 more. Another 2,100 non-violent inmates 'could be safely, effectively and cost-efficiently managed in community corrections programs,' Goble said. The report called for several short-term actions, including hiring more staff, increasing funding, and expanding community corrections programs, now available in 20 Alabama counties, to all 67 counties. 'Prison inmates in the Alabama corrections system are simply not getting the conditions, education, programs and treatment services needed to help them change for the better,' the report stated. 'The number and type of staff to adequately supervise and run effective education and treatment programs are just not there.' The report said the security staff should be increased 15 percent to 20 percent and programs and treatment staff should be increased 30 percent to 40 percent. That would lower the staff to inmate ratio from one officer per 8.3 inmates to one officer per 6.8 inmates. The average ratio of other nearby states is one officer per 4.4 inmates, Goble said. The plan called for six new prisons with 11,420 beds to be built by 2008: A 1,200-bed women's prison, expandable to 2,000 beds, with an adjoining 180-bed Work Release facility. A 2,040-bed male intake center and a new medical center with an adjoining 400-bed transition unit for those awaiting permanent assignments at other prisons. A 1,500-bed maximum security prison with an adjoining 400-bed transition unit. A 1,500-bed high-medium security prison with an adjoining 400-bed transition unit. Two 1,500-bed low-medium custody prisons with adjoining 400-bed minimum-custody unit for inmates who work in the prison. In a second phase of expansion, to be completed by 2012, the state could build another 1,500-bed maximum-security prison for men and expand existing prisons to house another 700 inmates. The report said about 2,100 of the state's present inmates could be effectively supervised in community-based programs at a cost of about $2,000 a year. The system spends $9,000 a year to keep an inmate in a major prison. The report called for expansion of community corrections programs in Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery. In the past two years, 39 percent of all prison inmates were admitted from those cities. |
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