CONCORD, N.H. — Construction bids for the new women’s prison have come in over 50 percent higher than budgeted, requiring a redesign and delaying its opening at least a year, until late 2017, state officials say.

A class action lawsuit filed on behalf of inmates over conditions and lack of programming at the women’s prison in Goffstown was put on hold last year after the state Legislature approved $38 million for the new women’s prison.

But the bids came in this month at $58 million, and officials say they are going back to the drawing board to radically amend the design.

Elliott Berry, one of the lead lawyers for the inmates, said the legal team will be meeting to consider what action to take.

“It’s been a long time since they were first ordered to do this,” Berry said, referring to nearly three decades of court orders to build a new women’s prison to remedy disparities in the programs and facilities for male and female inmates.

At the request of corrections officials, Gov. Maggie Hassan last month proposed an additional $12.6 million for the new prison, originally slated to open in late 2016. Officials say they are going to scale back what was expected to be a four-building, campus-style prison behind the men’s prison in Concord. Both designs aim to house 224 inmates.

“We may be looking more monolithic than campus,” said, Department of Administrative Services Deputy Commissioner Michael Connor.


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