OPELIKA — U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) said he plans to overhaul the scandal-riddled Alabama Department of Corrections should he win his bid for governor.
The 2021 special session was called to set aside $1.3 billion in funding and expedite a process for the construction of two new prisons, one in Elmore County and the other in Escambia County, while the federal government was investigating the Alabama Department of Corrections for Eighth Amendment violations.
Since then, the price tag for the Elmore County facility alone has ballooned to more than $1 billion, meaning the legislature will need to find additional funding for the eventual construction of the Escambia County facility. The Department of Corrections has also faced bipartisan criticism for its handling of a $1 billion prison health care contract with bankrupt YesCare.
A sheriff asked Tuberville at the Alabama Sheriffs Association gathering in a public question-and-answer session on Monday in Opelika about the department.
"One of the things that law enforcement, and particularly sheriffs have an issue with is: Department of Corrections. They're not our friends in a lot of ways. Can you help us?" the sheriff asked.
"Department of Corrections (is) getting ready to totally change. You won't recognize it this time next year. It will change. We're leaking oil bad. I don't know where all the money is going. We're building one prison over there, it's supposed to be $600 million and it's about $1.3 or 4 (billion). Now, they asked for another $100 million last week. They better get all they can get because some of their asses are going to be in the same jail. I am sick and tired of all these change orders costing millions. It's just coming out of our pockets, crazy," Tuberville answered. "We've been talking to people all over the country. One good thing about being in the Senate. I've got a dozen guys that have been governors up there. I talked to them if I could, 'What did you do in corrections? What did you do in this situation? What worked for you? What didn't work?' We've had a good relationship. I've sat down and talked hours with people about the good things and the bad things, some things to do (and) some things not to do."
He continued, "Corrections… that's one of the first things that always comes up about how to handle (it). There's not a lot of good corrections states. There's some. Florida has got a good one. We've talked a lot with them."
"We are going to find somewhere to put them. We're not going to put them back out on the streets. If we can convict them, we are going to put them in there. Nobody likes to spend money on prisons but unfortunately we're in the situation where the federal government says you've got to build it. We've got another one planned, but we don't have the money for it," Tuberville said. "We need to run the ones we have. Unfortunately, we're going to have to use your jails, but you're already full anyway. It will be a total change over of what we're doing, how we're doing it. We're going to get input from y'all. What you've seen, what's been going on. This is your expertise."
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