“It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter’s law.” – Hofstadter’s law, coined by Douglas Hofstadter

There is a theory in psychology that tries to explain why that one friend or family member is never on time.

The reason may surprise you. The theory says this person might just be an optimist about life. The logic goes that people rarely intend to be late, so those who are chronically late are simply victims of their own sunshine pumping. They believe time and events will work out in their favor to arrive on schedule.

It is the pessimists who show up early because they assume while on the way they will have to turn around to retrieve a forgotten wallet, change a flat tire, or assist with dragging a runaway hot-air balloon back down to terra firma.

If you subscribe to this simple theory on tardiness, you might say the Alabama Department of Corrections has never seen a cloudy day. Just look at its timeline for completing construction on what will be the state’s newest prison facility in Elmore County.

Alabama Daily News correspondent Claire Harrison reported the construction contractor for what will be known as the Kay Ivey Correctional Complex missed its Oct. 15 deadline for completion. This comes after another target date from May was already missed.

It represents yet another bad look for the competency of Alabama’s prison system leadership.

Alabama’s legislature approved a $1.3 billion plan to build two massive men’s prisons back in October 2021. As we approach the threshold of 2027, we have a partially completed prison that took up nearly the entirety of that $1.3 billion budget to show for it.

You don’t have to be a certified public accountant to know more money is needed to build the proposed second prison near Atmore.

In August AL.com’s Mike Cason reported the Alabama Corrections Institution Finance Authority – a committee of officials from state departments and the state legislature – approved setting aside close to another $900 million to build that facility, expected to be completed in 2029.

Though I rarely show up early to events, count me as pessimistic on the construction meeting that deadline and coming in on budget based on current evidence.

If you are willing to shrug off an extra billion clams for prison construction, don’t worry, there’s more.

State Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, went on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal” in September to explain how YesCare, the company with which the Department of Corrections contracted to provide healthcare services in state prisons, recently declared bankruptcy.

England said YesCare going belly-up left Alabama and some other private healthcare partners on the hook for millions of dollars owed back to them. He believes there is a strong case to be made that YesCare defrauded the state.

Furthermore, Alabama is struggling to build its corrections officer staff up to the level mandated by a 2017 federal court order while also battling a culture of corruption among the prison staff.

I have no doubt there are many good and honest corrections officers and prison staffers, but administrators are wrestling with the problem of contraband – including drugs, alcohol, tobacco, cell phones and cash – being smuggled into prisons by its own employees.

Another unfortunate consequence of corruption and poor leadership is lawsuits, and this situation is no exception.

The prison reform advocacy group, NO MORE: The Campaign for Safety and Accountability in Alabama’s Prisons, released a report this summer saying Alabama has spent more than $68 million on restitution, settlements with plaintiffs and legal representation fees since 2020.

The fact that Alabama needs to build new prison facilities should not be in dispute. The main issue here is the Department of Corrections continually hemorrhaging state taxpayer money.

If the price tag for these prisons is now more than $2 billion, it is incredibly important for taxpayers to feel confident their money is being used prudently. That confidence is not there right now.

For all the talk about eliminating government waste from so many political candidates for state offices this year, assembling a well-run Department of Corrections is a great place to start for those who get elected. The costs of the department’s mistakes keep rising skyward.

I don’t enjoy associating myself with pessimism, so let me close with one silver lining. Harrison’s reporting says Alabama is due to recoup $14.2 million since the Elmore County prison was not completed by the contractual deadline. If the facility is not finished by Nov. 16, the state will get back an additional $7.1 million.

Use the money to buy a clue.