Alabama's $1 billion, super-sized prison to be named after Gov. Kay Ivey

Alabama's $1 billion, super-sized prison to be named after Gov. Kay Ivey

ELMORE COUNTY, Ala. —

The Alabama Department of Corrections announced Wednesday that the state's newest correctional facility will be named after Governor Kay Ivey.

Previously called the Elmore Specialized Men’s Facility, the Governor Kay Ivey Correctional Complex will take up 1,438,448 gross square feet in Elmore County with 17 housing buildings, 12 medical buildings and 25 support buildings.

The facility will house 4,000 male inmates. The bed breakdown includes:

• 1,168 minimum security
• 1,535 medium security
• 192 maximum security
• 720 medical/mental health
• 384 intake

In 2021, the Alabama Legislature approved a $1.3 billion prison construction plan — that tapped $400 million from pandemic relief funds — to build two prisons and renovate the others. However, inflation and design changes caused cost estimates to rise, state officials said.

The Finance Authority in March increased the authorized spending on the first prison from about $623 million to $975 million. The latest action approved spending of a little more than $1 billion, which state officials said is the final price for the project.

Rep. Rex Reynolds, chairman of the House General Fund budget committee, said the price of labor, concrete and other materials have risen since lawmakers approved the project.

“That's just something we can't control ... But we've got to move forward with doing this job," Reynolds said.

“This is about not just creating a safer environment for the inmates, this is about a safer environment for our corrections officers to work in. The design of these prisons will better manage the prison population. It's more conducive for the vocational teaching of our inmates,” Reynolds said.

The project is roughly 47% complete and is slated for a full completion date in May 2026