ST. GABRIEL — A newly constructed state prison opened its doors in St. Gabriel on Thursday.

The $160 million facility, the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women, has 15 buildings spread across 300,000 square feet.

The Department of Public Safety and Corrections said the 958-bed facility includes spaces specifically designed to focus on providing rehabilitation, education, mental and medical healthcare, and post-partum treatment.

"The Department takes the dignity, care and treatment of incarcerated women in its custody seriously," Warden Kristen Thomas said. "Today's grand opening reflects the culmination of many years of extensive work and a centralized new beginning for my staff, the women in our custody and the volunteers who dedicate their service."

LCIW employs 261 state emplo

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