MONTGOMERY– Alabama’s prison finance authority has approved a construction contract for the new Escambia Men’s Prison Facility, allowing building construction to move forward.
Gov. Kay Ivey announced the 6-1 contract vote Thursday, Oct. 29. The Alabama Corrections Institution Finance Authority, known as ACIFA, also approved two other resolutions, according to the announcement.
As a result of the contract approval, the state can proceed with building construction on the Escambia facility. However, the announcement did not include the contract amount, the contractor’s name, or a construction timetable.
The project is the second of two new men’s prisons included in a framework Alabama lawmakers established in 2021. That plan also includes a facility in Elmore County.
Ivey said the Escambia project would strengthen the state’s ability to manage people sentenced to prison. In addition, she described the construction effort as part of her administration’s response to longstanding problems in Alabama’s prison system.
Ivey said prison-system problems had persisted for decades before she took office in April 2017.
The governor also emphasized taxpayer protection. She said her administration and lawmakers had saved money through appropriations over the past five years.
Ivey described the projects as necessary public safety investments and said her administration remained committed to transparency.
“I am proud we are officially moving forward with construction on this second facility,” Ivey said. She said public safety remained a priority for her administration and the Legislature.
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