Sponsor Statement for HB 150

An Act giving notice of and approving a lease-purchase agreement with the City of Seward for the construction and operation of an addition to the Spring Creek Correctional Center, and setting conditions and limitations on the facility's construction and operation.

Currently there is overcrowding in the prison system in Alaska and this legislation will help relieve the overcrowded conditions existing in correctional facilities. This bill will have the Department of Administration, on behalf of the Department of Corrections, enter into a lease-purchase agreement with the City of Seward. The City of Seward would construct and provide operations of an addition to the Spring Creek Correctional Facility and ultimately lease it back to the State. It will add 250 additional beds to the Spring Creek Correctional Center. The total cost of the addition cannot exceed $25,000,000. At the end of the lease-purchase agreement term, the State will own the correctional facility.

Additional prison space is needed. The Department of Corrections reports that it is regularly exceeding maximum and emergency capacities. Since February 1995, Alaska has had over 200 prisoners in a private facility in Florence, Arizona. By adding the addition to Spring Creek, there will be increased employment in Alaska.

Spring Creek Correctional Center is the only high security prison in the State and it is imperative that the facility stay ahead of demand for long term prisons. Spring Creek can achieve greater economy of scale by expanding by 250 beds. Spring Creek was originally built to allow for expansion. The community of Seward supports this expansion.

Unfortunately, the prision population continues to grow and the time is here to look at expansion. Spring Creek Correctional Center is a location where expansion could be developed by 250 beds.