ADOC commissioner: Prison plan is solution to system problems

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn said he was not surprised the U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation into the state's men's prisons.

"For us this was not unexpected," Dunn admitted. "They are looking at the same things we have been looking at for very many years and voicing concerns of those issues."

Just in the last year, riots have put prisons on lockdown. Inmates, guards, and even a warden have been stabbed. One corrections officer died while on duty.

"I hope we never, as a department, have to go through that again," Dunn stated.

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a quick solution. Dunn said he can move around some officers to trouble spots, like Holman Prison, and added that more searches and tactical teams have been deployed to help.

But according to Dunn, there just are not enough officers to deal with the pure numbers they face.

Alabama's prison system is among the oldest, most overcrowded, and most understaffed in the country.

"This problem took 30 years to make and it's going to take some time to solve," Dunn explained.

The commissioner believes the solution will come in the form of the state's Prison Transformation Act. That act would issue an $800 million bond issue to build four new prisons. The bond issue, which would likely cost the state more than a billion dollars over the course of 30 years, would be paid for through savings in construction, and the closing of 14 other prisons.

Dunn said the new prisons will reduce overcrowding and take the burden off corrections officers, thanks to new technology. But Dunn said he knows this is a long-term solution, something which will not solve the current poor working conditions facing correction officers.

Dunn said each officer sometimes is responsible for watching 100 inmates at a time, and being so out numbered can create major safety concerns.

While Dunn said he is confident the prison plan will pass in the 2017 session, in the meantime he realizes he is asking those having to face tough conditions day in and day out to hold on until more help arrives.

Copyright 2016 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.