Officials will gather on Monday in Concord for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the long-delayed new women’s prison.
The opening of the 224-bed facility has been pushed back several times, a result of funding battles and, more recently, an inability to hire enough staff. The $48-million facility is located on the same grounds as the men’s prison.
The new building is larger than the current women’s prison in Goffstown, and will provide inmates with job training classrooms, as well as expanded health and substance abuse treatment offerings.
[You can read NHPR's previous story about the building's design here.]
The prison is in part a result of a class action lawsuit that alleged New Hampshire wasn’t offering equal programs to women and men in the state’s custody.
Governor Chris Sununu as well as Department of Corrections Commissioner Helen Hanks are expected to be on hand for the event.