Janet Stevens of the New Hampshire State Executive Council said on April 16 that before any further spending is approved for a new men’s prison facility, the state must account for previous expenditures. The statement was issued following her tour of the New Hampshire State Prison for Men as the Executive Council continued its evaluation of a proposed design contract for a replacement facility in Concord, according to Executive Councilor Stevens in a social media post.
The discussion comes as state officials consider one of the largest capital initiatives in New Hampshire’s history. The overall replacement project for the New Hampshire State Prison for Men carries an estimated total construction cost of up to $700 million, with a design phase contract valued near $36 million and $38.9 million available in the current fiscal year, as reported by the Concord Monitor. The timeline for completion could extend well into the next decade.
Stevens said, “After touring the Men’s Prison System today, one thing is clear: we need a new facility. But I will not support a $38.9 million dollar contract when the State can’t account for a prior $10 million contract. Scope ballooning from 400K sq feet to 700K sq feet. Before we spend another dollar, the State must show what we got for the first $10 million,” according to her social media post.
The existing prison was originally constructed in 1878 and underwent major expansions during the 1980s according to the Department of Corrections. It currently maintains an operational capacity of approximately 1,408 beds and houses most of New Hampshire’s male inmate population. Officials have identified aging infrastructure as creating operational challenges and say replacement planning aims to meet long-term requirements for corrections operations.
Stevens serves as a Republican member representing District 3 on the Executive Council after first being elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2022, according to information from her official council page.
