Gov. Kay Ivey (R-AL) on Friday sent a letter to lawmakers declaring her intentions to call a special session of the Alabama State Legislature in order to address issues relating to the state’s prison infrastructure.
In the letter obtained by Yellowhammer News, Ivey says that the state “face[s] an urgent need to address Alabama’s longstanding prison infrastructure challenges.” She noted that if the state fails to appropriately resolve issues outlined in the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit against Alabama’s prison system, the state could face “detrimental consequences.”
The governor acknowledged that it is in the state’s fiscal and legal interests to address the issue and further noted that it is the “right thing to do” for the prison system’s correctional officers and inmates.
Ivey told members of the legislature that she will formally issue her proclamation next week, also noting that she will set Sept. 27 as the date to convene the special session.
The letter states that this presents the legislature with an opportunity “to lead our state in a bipartisan manner to solve a problem that has plagued us for decades and that, if not properly addressed, will continue to set us back for decades to come.”
Ivey concluded by telling lawmakers of her desire for state government to “provide an Alabama solution to this Alabama problem.”
Earlier this year, the state of Alabama filed a motion seeking to dismiss the federal lawsuit which claimed that conditions in men’s state prisons violate the Eight Amendment’s protections against cruel and unusual punishment. In February, Ivey signed a 30-year lease to build two new prisons which the governor said would cost the state no more than $88.6 million per year when adjusted for projected inflation.
Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper) says legislative leadership has collaborated on a plan which seeks to end the ongoing controversy surrounding the state’s embattled prison system.
“The Governor is calling this special session to address an issue that has hung over the head of our state for decades,” said Reed. “The Governor, along with House and Senate leadership, have worked together to develop a plan to finally tackle this problem once and for all, and to do so in a fiscally-conservative manner.”
The upper chamber’s leader warned of the potential fallout should the legislature fail to solve the state’s prison woes.
Reed concluded, “The stakes are high – without taking action on this issue, the federal government could take control of our prison system at a high cost to Alabama taxpayers, and could even result in the forced release of prisoners. It’s time to finally resolve this issue for the people of Alabama.”
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
