ATMORE, Ala. (WIAT) — The Alabama Department of Corrections has begun the process of closing significant parts of Holman Correctional Facility, one of the state’s most violent prisons.

On Wednesday, ADOC Commissioner Jeff Dunn announced plans to permanently close the main facility at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore. Dunn said that to ensure the ongoing safety and security of correctional staff, inmates and public, Holman’s main facility will close due to maintenance issues.

“We found out that it was requiring daily intervention into the tunnel to keep the basic sewer, water and electrical services for the entire prison,” Dunn said.

ADOC is calling this a decommissioning process, with approximately 422 general population inmates and 195 restricted housing inmates being relocated to other ADOC facilities across Alabama. This phase of decommissioning has already taken place.

The ACLU of Alabama calls the move unfair to the family members of inmates.

“Quite frankly for people who are incarcerated the dynamic and the attachment that they will be able to maintain with their family might be kind the only light at the end of the tunnel,” said Dillon Nettles, policy analyst for the group.

Nettles said ADOC’s decision could further create more problems.

“They are making these decisions haphazardly and that is leading to more deaths and more violence that’s have not only being , but occurring at Holman, but prisons all across the state of Alabama,” he said.

Approximately 150 of Holman correctional facilities low-risk inmates serving life without parole sentences will be moved to the facilities standalone E dorm at Holman, formally the faith-based dormitory, and will continue to work at the prison tag in clothing plants.

Dunn said Holman’s restrictive housing unit will be modified appropriately to house and serve the facilities current 145 death row inmates. To make room for incoming inmates, 21 death row inmates have been transferred from Donaldson Correctional Facility to Holman.

“This will place additional stress on already stressed facilities,” Dunn said.

Dunn said that although Holman has had issues with violence among inmates, the decision is based off of maintenance safety concerns.

Dunn said there is no risk of threat to the public with the massive transferring of inmates.

The Department of Justice issued the following statement Wednesday:

“The Department of Justice learned this morning that the Holman facility was to be closed and that the majority of the prisoners housed in that prison would be transferred to other facilities. I am disappointed that we were not privy to the decision to close Holman at the time such a decision was being considered. We will continue to forge ahead in our good faith negotiations.”

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