NH women's prison over budget, delayed

In 2013 New Hampshire approved $38 million to build a new women's prison in Concord.  At a budget hearing Tuesday, Department of Corrections officials announced that the prison is now estimated to cost $58 million.

According to a report from the Concord Monitor, the challenge is fitting all of the desired prison functionality into a small building site.  The Corrections Department is redesigning the plans to hopefully cut costs, but that redesign will delay construction by a year.

Gov. Maggie Hassan's budget proposal includes an additional $12.6 million to design and build the women's prison.

Given the many competing priorities in the next state budget, lawmakers may be reluctant to increase the Department of Corrections' budget.  For example, the Department of Transportation claims it will cut critical bridge inspections and snow plowing without a budget increase, the University System is asking for more funding to freeze in-state tuition, and the Department of Health and Human Services is already facing a budget deficit due to expanded Medicaid coverage.

However, the state government will face a lawsuit if the women's prison is not completed.  In 2012 four female inmates filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Corrections charging that New Hampshire treats male and female inmates inequitably; that lawsuit was stayed pending prison construction.