LEXINGTON, KY, UNITED STATES, November 4, 2024: The federal government has granted approval for the construction of a new $500 million federal prison in Letcher County, Kentucky. The facility, which will house 1,408 inmates, is expected to take about a year for design and property acquisitions before construction can begin. Once underway, construction is projected to take around three years, according to the announcement made by Republican Rep. Hal Rogers.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) announced that it will acquire approximately 500 acres of land in Roxana, Kentucky, for the new correctional institution and associated camp. The BOP states that the new facility is essential due to the aging and increasingly obsolete condition of current prisons, which are deemed “no longer cost-effective or sustainable to operate and maintain.”

A Long-Awaited Project With Controversial Roots

‍While the BOP initially approved the prison’s construction in 2018, it withdrew its approval in 2019 following a lawsuit filed by the Abolitionist Law Center. The lawsuit argued that the prison would harm the environment and expose inmates to hazardous pollutants, particularly from the former coal mining site. Environmental groups have since rallied against the plan. Kentucky’s chapter of the Sierra Club claims that the development would result in the destruction of 120 acres of forest and 2 acres of wetlands, severely impacting the local ecosystem.

The decision to proceed with the prison has drawn sharp criticism from local activists and environmental advocates. “This is not just about building a prison; it’s about safeguarding the environment and the future of the region,” said Rep. Hal Rogers. “The prison will bring 325 permanent jobs with $43 million in annual wages and salaries to the area, boosting the local economy.”

However, critics challenge this claim. In a July op-ed, local leaders, including Attica Scott, a former state representative, Artie Ann Bates, a Letcher County psychiatrist, and Judah Schept, author of Coal, Cages Crisis: The Rise of the Prison Economy in Central Appalachia, argued that the job projections are overblown and that the new facility will not result in meaningful economic benefits. They contend that Eastern Kentucky already has several prisons, and additional correctional facilities are not necessary.

The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy also published a study questioning the economic impact of federal prisons in the region. According to the study, previous prisons in Eastern Kentucky have not lived up to their economic promises, raising doubts about the long-term benefits of the new facility.

The Road Ahead‍

Despite the opposition, the federal government has moved forward with its plans. Construction of the prison is set to begin in approximately a year, after finalizing the design and property acquisitions. However, the debate over its environmental impact and economic feasibility continues to simmer, with strong opposition from local activists and environmental groups.

As of now, the project’s contractors have not been publicly named, and further legal or environmental challenges may delay the planned construction. The future of the project remains uncertain as it faces significant local and regional pushback, but for now, the BOP’s approval marks a new chapter for the proposed federal prison in Letcher County.