Commissioner Hamm of the Alabama Department of Corrections updated the Joint Interim Committee on Corrections about construction progress at the new Elmore complex, saying the project was roughly 75% complete as of photographs dated September 2025 and that planners are working through significant logistical and staffing details ahead of occupancy.

The commissioner described a campus-style layout for the 4,000-bed project with a 45,000-square-foot vocational-education building operated in partnership with the community college system. He said that building will house multiple trades — welding, plumbing, electrical, industrial maintenance and HVAC — with “state of the art” equipment intended to train residents for in‑demand jobs.

Hamm told the committee the complex includes a substantial medical and mental-health component — about 720 beds — and on-site diagnostic and dialysis capacity intended to reduce off-site transport for medical care. The campus plan calls for 17 housing buildings, a dining hall sized to serve thousands of daily meals, administration and screening (TSA-style) entry points for staff and volunteers, and multiple support buildings.

“Y'all seen the picture with Governor Ivey out from the mansion. That is one of the things we are proud of,” Hamm said, adding that the vocational and medical investments are central to the project. He said planners are also redesigning staffing and movement logistics to avoid excessive officer overtime during shift changes and to minimize time spent moving staff to duty posts across a campus that in places exceeds a quarter-mile.

Committee members asked whether different custody classifications — minimum, medium and maximum — will be separated in the new configuration. Hamm said the design includes cross-fencing and an updated offender-management and classification system to improve bed assignments and that a roll-out for the new classification system is planned before full facility completion.

Hamm also described the department's recent staffing gains after a March 2023 pay increase and training partnerships with community colleges, noting the agency had increased certified correctional staff from a lower historic baseline to roughly 2,368 certified positions. He said the department has led large correctional-officer training classes and is using pre-academy (ACTIVATE) programs to improve fitness and pass rates.

Ending: The commissioner said the department will continue work on logistics, staffing and classification systems as construction finishes and the agency plans staggered rollouts of operations and programs.