Rhett Marques discusses new prisons at Rotary Club

Alabama State Representative District 91 Representative Rhett Marques (R) stopped by the Enterprise Rotary Club’s weekly meeting on Oct. 12 to discuss the construction of new prisons in the state.

The state legislature passed a $1.3 billion bill that was signed into law earlier this month that will lead to the construction of two “mega prisons” in the state.

“This has been a situation that has been building and has gotten to the point where we did not have a choice, we had to do something,” Marques said. “This is something we had to address.”

The federal government sued the State of Alabama over prison conditions, including the fact that the state is housing more than 18,000 prisoners despite the state’s prisons only having the capacity for 11,000.

“We are running about 160 percent prison capacity,” Marques said.

Marques said that the federal government wants the state to lower that number closer to 100 percent, which he says means letting prisoners out.

“They want us to lower that number, which means letting people out,” Marques insisted. “Between 80-85 percent of people in jail currently are there for a violent offense, which means they robbed someone, hit them over the head, tried to kill them, etc.

“Well, if you hear some things in the press being discussed it’s, ‘Just let all the people with drug offenses out,’ but there are very few of those that are in jail right now. Opening up the jails and letting people out puts us all in danger and we can’t have that.”

The new bill the state passed is planned to have three phases that starts with $1.3 billion for the construction of two new “mega prisons” in Elmore and Escambia Counties, along with the purchase of a building in Perry County that was previously constructed but never used for any purpose. Each of the mega prisons will house 4,000 prisoners each. Marques said that the building that was purchased in Perry County was constructed for $40 million but the state was able to purchase it for $19 million.

In phase one, the state will use a bond issue of $738 million, $400 million from the American Rescue Plan (COVID-19 relief money) and $154 million from the state’s general fund.

These “mega prisons” in phase one will also feature some prisoner rehabilitation programs, according to Marques.

“One of the facilities in phase one will have an education program, a mental health program and drug and alcohol abuse programs,” Marques emphasized.

In phase two, some of the more recently built prisons in the state – primarily in Limestone and Jefferson Counties – will be rehabbed and refurbished and a new women’s prison in Wetumpka at the current Tutwiler Prison that will house 1,000 inmates.

In phase three, prisons across the state will be evaluated and it will be decided which ones can be repurposed and which prisons need to be closed.

Marques emphasized that this will be a long-term process that will take more than five years to get to phase three.

“The reason this can kept getting kicked down the road is because nobody wants to spend money on prisoners, let’s face it,” Marques said. “We’re talking about $1.3 billion for phase one but we are going to be put into a position with the federal government taking over our prison system.

“A few years ago they took over the prison system in California and let out about 30 percent of the (prisoners) and then gave the state a $7-8 million bill and they had no say in it. That would happen to us. We would have to open the jails and let out 30 percent of the people and then the federal government would do what they wanted and stick us with the bill with no say so.”

Marques also touched on the upcoming redistricting at local and state levels in the state and he said that his district and other districts would be changing because District 91’s population increased along with other districts increasing and decreasing in the surrounding areas.

Marques also asked about the current food shortages that a number of schools in the area are being hit with.

“They are working on that at the state level,” Marques said. “It’s not just food, we are seeing a shortage in all supplies.

“It’s one of those things where distribution and production are being disrupted but that is being addressed and addressed quickly, because it will affect a lot of people, a lot of children. (State Superintendent) Dr. (Eric) Mackey and the state board are working on that.”

While the last special session for the state legislature was a big one because of the need to pass the prison construction bill, Marques said he believes the upcoming session beginning in January will not be as busy.

“We will not likely see a gambling (bill), there’s always a chance someone drops something but I highly doubt it,” Marques said. “It would take up a large portion of (the session). Net session will (probably) be things like mask mandates, anti-vaccination mandates, critical race theory and things like that. More Republican mainstream based.”

The Enterprise Rotary Club meets every Tuesday at noon at the Enterprise Country Club.