A plan to build new prisons in Alabama changed substantially today, with a new bill that shifts much of the initiative from the state to local authorities.

Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, introduced a new version of his prison bill that caps the state bond issue at $350 million, down from $775 million.

The state could build one prison if local authorities build two others, for a total of three prisons. The bill would also allow local authorities to build all three prisons.

The local authorities, most likely to organize in areas that have multiple prisons and want to retain those jobs, could issue bonds to build a prison.

The local authorities would lease the prisons to the state, with the lease payments applied to the bond debt.

The leases would be for up to 30 years and the state would own the prisons at the end of the lease terms, Ward said.

The state could use $125 million of its $350 million in bond revenue for renovations to existing prisons, Ward said.

The bill is the latest and most substantially changed version of the plan initiated by Gov. Robert Bentley, who had called for an $800 million bond issue to build three new regional men's prisons, replace Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women and close most of the existing men's prisons.

Ward said the change is an effort to attract enough votes to pass a bill.

Ward said there were multiple factions with objections to the earlier versions.

"Some want to do nothing at all," Ward said. "Some don't mind the release of a lot of people. Some say there's really not a problem existing at all. Some say there's a problem but this is too much money.

"You had five or six different groups that you're kind of herding into one room trying to come up with a consensus. But in fairness, that's how the legislative process works."

Lawmakers in areas where prisons might close are concerned about the loss of jobs.

Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, who represents Elmore County, where there are three men's prisons, said there have already been discussions about forming an authority there and the reaction has been generally positive, but cautious.

"They have to look at it because they represent the same people that I represent," Chambliss said. "And the last thing we want to do is have all these jobs move out of the county and everybody say, "What'd do you do? What happened?' "

Aside from the concern about jobs in his district, Chambliss said increasing violence in the prisons also raises the issue of safety for inmates and for prison employees. He said that raises the urgency to find a solution and the original bill was not it.

"Pretty much the previous plans that we've seen were not passable," Chambliss said. "So we have to do something different to try to come up with a solution for this problem."

The plan would not replace Tutwiler but would make money available for renovations there, in addition to renovations done in recent years, partly as the result of an agreement with the Department of Justice.

Bentley and Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn proposed the prison-building initiative last year as the solution to Alabama's long-standing problem with overcrowded prisons.

Dunn issued a statement today about the new version of the bill.

"The Alabama Department of Corrections remains committed to working with the Senate to meeting this critical need in the state and we are willing to work with local communities to solve this statewide problem," Dunn said.

Sentencing reforms have reduced the inmate population by almost 10 percent over about the last three years.

As of Jan. 31 this year, Alabama's prisons held 22,773 inmates in facilities designed for 13,318.

The number of corrections officers has dropped by about 20 percent in five years and the number of violent incidents has roughly doubled during that time, according to the Department of Corrections.

Dunn said the state would save enough by consolidating aging prisons into modern facilities with better designs to pay off the bond debt.

Asked for comment on the changed prison bill, Bentley spokeswoman Yasamie August said the governor's objective has not changed.

"The prison bill is a work in progress and the governor's ultimate goal remains the same and that is the transformation of the prison system, and the governor's holistic approach includes improving the facilities and protecting the lives of the corrections officers," August said.

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