Governor Kay Ivey calls special session to address prison infrastructure and the justice system

Health care treatment, educational services, and prison re-sentencing are on the agenda for the next Special Session

MONGOMERY, Ala. (WCBI)- Health care treatment, educational services, and prison re-sentencing are on the agenda for the upcoming special session called by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. The main items on the agenda are a bond bill and sentencing standards.

The Alabama governor released a statement saying, “I am pleased and extremely hopeful that we are finally positioned to address our state’s prison infrastructure challenges. I appreciate the hard work of the legislative leadership and the many members who have worked diligently with my team to put us in position for a bipartisan proposal. While this issue was many years in the making, we stand united to provide an Alabama solution to this Alabama problem.”

Governor Ivey wants legislators to consider authorizing a bond of up to $785 million to finance a prison modernization plan. The plan includes building a specialized men’s facility in Elmore County to provide enhanced medical, mental, and substance abuse treatment along with education services. New men’s and women’s facilities are also included in the bond bill plan.

During the upcoming session, legislators will also consider possibly reducing the sentences of inmates who committed non-violent offenses and were incarcerated before 2013. The motion will allow the sentences of those inmates to match Alabama’s sentence standards adopted in 2013.

The session will be Monday, September 27th.