Hawaii prison officials are asking for an emergency appropriation of $3.4 million to continue housing inmates out of state for six more months.
About 40 percent of Saguaro Correctional Center’s beds are reserved for out-of-state inmates. The Eloy prison has housed 250 prisoners from Hawaii while a correctional facility on Oahu undergoes renovations.
Officials expect the project to replace locks, video surveillance systems and other electronics to be completed in June. It was originally planned to be completed more than a year ago.
The state has spent more than $11 million to house prisoners elsewhere during the renovations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
