Nearly 80 Alabama Department of Corrections inmates were transferred to facilities in Louisiana on Thursday, continuing an effort by Alabama prisons to comply with a recent court order to reduce the state prison population. Officials said the transfers are also due to a lack of space in Alabama prisons.

“ADOC's medium-security facilities are operating at 219.6 percent of designed capacity, thus necessitating the need for immediate and additional housing,” said Alabama Department of Corrections spokesman Brian Corbett.

Nine male inmates went to a facility in Pine Prairie, La., and 70 were transferred to a Basile, La., facility. The men taken to Basile will eventually be relocated to Pine Prairie when space becomes available.

All the inmates transferred Thursday came from the Department of Corrections facility in Limestone.

A total of 490 male inmates have been relocated to Louisiana since February.

The contract between the Department of Corrections and LCS Corrections Services Inc. allows for the housing of up to 500 Alabama male inmates at a cost of $29.50 per inmate per day.

The Alabama Department of Corrections has housed female inmates at the facility in Basile since 2003. There are currently more than 300 female inmates at the Basile, La. facility.

Corbett said there is not a timetable for the inmates to return to Alabama.

The Alabama Department of Corrections is under court order in Barbour County v. Allen to reduce the state inmate population in all 67 counties.

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