A riot involving about 100 inmates at Holman Correctional Facility and the stabbing of a prison officer five days earlier show that Alabama's jam-packed prisons have reached a critical point, Gov. Robert Bentley said today.

"A volatile mix of overcrowding and understaffing have created an environment that is dangerous to both inmates as well as the corrections officers who serve our state," Bentley said in a statement.

"Our state must take the necessary steps to address and solve this problem immediately. We must reduce overcrowding and provide facilities that are safer and more secure for both inmates and corrections officers."

Alabama has about 24,000 inmates in prisons designed for about 13,000.

Bentley and Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn are pushing a plan to build three new men's prisons and close 13 of the 15 the state now operates.

The plan also includes replacing Tutwiler Prison for Women with a new facility.

The plan calls for borrowing up to $800 million through a bond issue.

Bentley and Dunn say the debt, about $50 million a year over 30 years, can be repaid by the savings the state will make by closing the outdated facilities.

The legislation authorizing the plan would also pledge a portion of an existing state property tax as a secondary source to repay the debt.

The bill is pending in legislative committees.

Builders and architects have raised some objections to the plan to hire a single contractor for the project through a design/build approach, rather than having an initial contract for design, with builders then bidding on the construction phase.

The governor said the design/build approach is a more cost-effective way to complete the project.

The three regional men's prisons would house 4,000 inmates each, while the women's prison would house 1,200.

Overall, prison capacity under the plan would increase by about 3,000 beds, according to the DOC.

Last year, the Legislature approved legislation aimed at reducing the prison population over time.

The law created a new classification for some property and drug crimes intended to place defenders in community corrections programs, rather than prison.

It also raised the emphasis on parole and supervision of offenders to keep them out of prison or keep them from returning.

The criminal justice reforms and the prison construction plan would reduce the prison occupancy rates to 125 percent over five years, according to the Department of Corrections.

The disturbance at Holman erupted Friday night.

The warden and a corrections officer were stabbed after the officer intervened in a fight between inmates.

Inmates gained access to a hallway and set fires in the prison.

Emergency response teams were able to secure the area and place the prison on lockdown, according to a news release from the Department of Corrections.

The warden was treated at the prison while the officer was taken to a medical facility. Their injuries were not life-threatening, according to the Department of Corrections.

Earlier this week, an officer at St. Clair Correctional Facility was stabbed while breaking up a fight between inmates. His injuries were not life-threatening.

The stabbing was just the latest in a string of violence at the St. Clair prison.