A warden for a new federal prison, we might well imagine, is a busy person. So it was perhaps no surprise that Arcola Arducci, the warden at the new Federal Correctional Institution at Aliceville, was unable to make it as the speaker last Tuesday. But the warden left the presentation in the capable hands of her Associate Wardens for Programs and Operations, who did a fine job in their own right. Rotarian Becky York introduced the speakers.

The mission of Aliceville, the wardens reported, will reflect the mission of the Board of Prisons in general: to provide a system of incarceration that is “safe, humane, and cost effective” for its inmates. Overall the Federal BOP supervises some 218,000 inmates nationwide. From its humble beginnings with 11 facilities in the 1930s, the agency now operates 118.

And at a cost of some $ 29,000 a year to house each inmate, it is easy to understand why the BOP is focused not only on being cost effective, but on making it possible for current inmates to re-enter society successfully. “We don’t want any repeat customers,” the wardens reported.

The Aliceville facility is a 40 acre camp, surrounded by several hundred acres of land. The construction is “green certified,” making it the most cost- effective and energy efficient of its kind as well. It is currently home to a skeleton staff of 25, which will eventually grow to some 335.

The current staff is hard at work putting the finishing touches on the facility. They are working to furnish its offices, install its beds, computers, medical and dental facilities, and other needs. Some 1,500 low security female inmates will begin arriving later this year, as well as another 250 minimum security inmates. In keeping with the focus on successful re-entry mandated by the BOP, all inmates will have access to a range of programs: GED, ESL, technical education and so on.

The impact of the prison for the local economy will also be considerable. 188 of the prison’s currently open positions will be filled locally, for example, and the prison will offer bids to local business for vendor contracts. There will also be a number of volunteer opportunities for local groups inside the prison.