(Westville, IN) - There was a groundbreaking on Thursday for the new Westville Correctional Facility, costing an estimated $1.2 billion.
The building, expected to take four years to construct, will also become home to Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.
The WCF was originally a mental health facility when it opened in 1951, before later being converted into a penal institution.
Indiana Department of Correction officials say that the new prison will more secure and offer more services designed to keep inmates from reoffending.
Governor Eric Holcomb noted that the new prison will be the most expensive state building project in history, but one that will be a cost-saver in the long run because of the money saved from no longer needing to maintain the Indiana State Prison.
ISP prison was built in 1860.
“We are at that point right now where you can start to plan long term for a different use of a primo piece of property in Michigan City and not continue to pour money into a facility that was built before Lincoln was sworn in as president,” he said.
Right now, one vision is to demolish the state prison after it moves into the new WCF in five years and redevelop the 100-acre parcel for another purpose, like workforce housing.
The new prison will house up to 4,200 inmates. The population at both prisons combined is closer to 5,000, but other prisons in the state with vacancies will absorb the overflow.
