Alabama gov signs bill to use covid funds to build prisons

[Demovictory9]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/01/politics/alabama-covid-relief-prison-bills-signed-governor-kay-ivey/index.html



' (CNN)Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law Friday a number of prison infrastructure bills that will use coronavirus relief funds to build new prisons in the state, calling it a "pivotal moment for the trajectory of our state's criminal justice system."

Ivey, a Republican, had convened a special session of the Alabama Legislature to discuss how to fix what she has called a decades-long problem of prison infrastructure challenges. The governor said Friday's bill signing was the culmination of hard work and conversations between lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

"I'd like to personally offer my thanks to the legislative leadership who are standing behind me right here, for a successful special session, and what we believe will yield untold benefits to all Alabamians in the days ahead," Ivey said.

[XanaDUer2]

1. I don't understand

how is this allowed?

[hlthe2b]

2. My thoughts exactly. Surely there were restrictions for use of the $$ in the bill?

[wryter2000]

3. The Feds need to take the money back

Or someone needs to take her to court. What a disgusting things to say - that prisons yield untold benefits.

[Champp]

4. "If they don't die from COVID as planned, we'll just lock them up." - Poison Ivey

Republicans are such a heinous mess. So sad.

[SheltieLover]

5. Is this legal?

[moondust]

6. Prisons to house

the many(?) left homeless because the state didn't spend the COVID funds to help them through the pandemic as intended and some turned to crime just to survive?

Free prison labor? Was that the plan all along?

[misanthrope]

8. Yes, that was the aim

Read two books -- "Just Mercy" and "American Nations" -- and you will be able to understand how clearly that handwriting was scrawled on the wall. Deep South culture nearly demands as much.

[Hortensis]

7. Sounds like they think all Alabamans might personally need better imprisonment.

[haele]

9. That's because prisons are a major economic driver in Alabama.

Not only are there entire town employed by the prison system and supporting businesses some of the major employers in the state, it's also one of the major trades training and provider of low cost labor in the state.
Instead of training and educating their poor young people for good paying jobs, they'd rather the established major businesses (call centers, supply chain components, meat and produce processors, light manufacturing factories) do well with trustee labor. Try starting a union in the lower paying businesses - Laz knows of a situation where the major employer -an industrial carpet manufacturer - in a small town threatened to leave because Budweiser ,(union shop) wanted to set up a warehouse/distribution compound down the highway in the town limits. The "city fathers" decided it would be better to keep the minimum wage "good ol' boy" employer rather than have one of those socialist Union businesses in town, even though Budweiser would have employed just as many locals as the carpet factory.

Budweiser also wouldn't have paid the county for local prison labor to be bussed in and clean after shift.

Haele

[TreasonousBastard]

13. The horrible thing is that the prison economy isn't necessary any more...

Chain gangs, prison labor...These are things that harken back to the economics of slavery.

It's not only the deep South, but entire towns, even here in NY, depend on serving prisons for much of their economic activity. This is just nuts, besides the immorality of it all.

[struggle4progress]

10. "Now that our deathrate is higher than our birthrate, we'd like to get

the incarceration rate above the employment rate!"

[House of Roberts]

11. I'd like to know if OUR unemployment funds Crooked Kay took away June 19th,

ended up the same way.

This is Trump-level theft, for certain.

[KentuckyWoman]

12. But OMG let's all clutch our pearls because

someone on food stamps bought steaks.