Indigenous Organization Acquires Land on Proposed Federal Prison Site in Kentucky

A controversial proposed prison site in Letcher County, Kentucky, is facing new barriers thanks to a community-based Indigenous organization and new suggested budget cuts from the U.S. Department of Justice.

In 2024, after years of community opposition, the federal Bureau of Prisons approved and authorized plans to build the prison on a 500-acre reclaimed mountaintop removal coal mine in Roxanna. Now, the U.S. Department of Justice might be reversing course, issuing a June budget request to rescind $500 million for the proposed prison.

Further complicating the issue, the Appalachian Rekindling Project, an Indigenous woman-led community building and land restoration group, purchased a 63-acre plot within the currently designated boundaries of the proposed facility. The group purchased the property with support from Building Community Not Prisons, a grassroots coalition of local and national members working to oppose the proposed prison.

The Appalachian Rekindling Project is considering various land restoration initiatives, including reintroducing native animals like bison. The group is also establishing an intertribal Indigenous center.

Appalachian Voices, which publishes The Appalachian Voice, has previously criticized efforts to plan and build the prison in Letcher County using federal funds intended for coal mine cleanup and economic development, and reported on local opposition to the prison.