The grand opening for a newly constructed private prison in Perry County is less than a month away, but its 625 beds may remain empty for a while -- even though there are hundreds of state inmates ready to fill it.

About 600 state inmates are backlogged in county jails, forcing a circuit judge to weigh a contempt charge against prison Commissioner Richard Allen. The new prison, constructed by Louisiana-based LCS Corrections, would seem to offer an immediate solution.

But prison system officials say they don't have enough money to pay the private lockup to hold its overflow of inmates.

"Funding is our first hurdle," said prison spokesman Brian Corbett.

In an e-mail, he said the Alabama Department of Corrections "does plan to work closely with the Legislature, emphasizing a need for the Perry County facility and hopefully acquiring funding during the current legislative session."

Corbett added that he's not sure how much it would cost to house the inmates. He said the "informal talks" that corrections officials have had with Perry County and LCS have not addressed the cost.

Utilizing the Perry County prison, slated to open April 3, is one of the recommendations of Gov. Bob Riley's task force on prison overcrowding that the Department of Corrections is charged with implementing.

Since 2003, the prison system has housed about 300 female prisoners at an LCS facility in Basile, La., at a cost of $24.60 a day per inmate. The state also entered an emergency contract with LCS last month to send up to 500 prisoners at $29.50 a day per inmate, compared to the $35.98 that the system spends daily on individual prisoners in Alabama.

State Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, whose district includes Perry County, said lawmakers would need to set aside up to $5 million for the Department of Corrections before it could use the prison.

"We're working through some budget issues to have that institution filled," said Singleton.

Singleton said more prison beds shouldn't be the only way to deal with the brimming state inmate population -- now exceeding 28,000 -- but he supported working with LCS because the new prison brings about 130 permanent jobs to his district.

The Black Belt county has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state at 7.6 percent, according to preliminary 2006 figures from the state Department of Industrial Relations.

County Commission Chairman Johnny Flowers, who spearheaded the deal with LCS, said he's not worried about the stall over sending inmates to the prison.

"We're closer than you can imagine," Flowers said. "I don't think the state of Alabama is going to let 600 beds lay dormant."

Richard Harbison, vice president of LCS, said he won't worry for another "30 to 60 days if we have no inmates."

He said the cost to hold the prisoners won't be set until the number of inmates and their needs is determined. The prison is designed to house low- to medium-security inmates and would offer extensive drug treatment and other rehabilitative programs, he said.

The agreement between LCS and the county called for LCS to build the $20 million prison and lease it to the county for $1 a year. LCS will take a profit after covering operating costs and payroll based on the number of inmates at the facility.

"What Perry County gets is 200 construction jobs and 130 permanent jobs," Harbison said, describing the project as a major economic boost for the county.

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