Eminent Domain Prison Case Settled

The long battle to get land for a new prison near Jefferson City has ended with an out of court settlement between the state and the landowners. Landowners Jim and Marilyn Hoffman are settling for 2.1-million dollars. They had demanded much more. The state had offered much less. Condemnation commissioners had suggested a middle ground. Both sides had complained but now have decided to take the deal. The state plans to build a new maximum security prison east of Jefferson City to replace the old state penitentiary which is in town. It’s the nation’s oldest prison still operating west of the Mississippi.