What is the problem?
State officials in Alabama recently announced that they underestimated the cost of building a gigantic new prison in Elmore County. Instead of costing $623 million, building the prison will actually cost at least $975 million. It’s a 56 percent increase in cost.

Why does it matter?
Alabama prioritizes mass incarceration over virtually every other kind of investment. The Alabama Department of Corrections annual operating budget stands at about $700 million per year. The state is currently negotiating a four-year prison healthcare contract that will cost at least $1 billion. The current two-prison construction plan will now cost at least $1.6 billion in total, though the price tag will almost certainly rise again. What do Alabamians get for pouring billions and billions of our dollars into mass incarceration, while other needed public services go unfunded? The worst prison system in the nation. Alabama must stop giving a blank check to its least effective, most corrupt agency.

How can I help?
Please use this online portal to contact your state lawmakers and let them know that you do not approve of this endless burning of public resources on mass incarceration. As legislators, they have the power to reel in reckless ADOC spending when they consider state budgets. They also have the power to confront the driver’s of Alabama’s prison crisis. But they need to hear from you. They need to know that their constituents are watching and have had enough of our prison system swallowing so many of our limited public resources while producing the worst results anywhere in America.