Amerimix Blog

Rebuilding with Strength and Efficiency: Amerimix’s Role in the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women

In the heart of St. Gabriel, Louisiana, the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women (LCIW) faced a complete rebuild after a devastating flood in 2016. The inmates were relocated to other prisons from 2022-2024 while new high-security buildings were constructed, putting immense pressure on the construction timeline. The project demanded strong, durable walls and ceilings to withstand the test of time and the continuous threat of hurricanes and the Mighty Mississippi. Building with masonry was the clear choice.


A Milestone in Louisiana’s Correctional System

The new LCIW is a $150 million state-of-the-art facility spanning a 280,000-square-foot campus. It includes a post-partum unit, administration building, medical and mental health services, dormitories for 938 inmates, educational and vocational buildings, a gymnasium, kitchen, and a maintenance warehouse. Beyond confinement, LCIW prioritizes rehabilitation, offering vocational training, educational programs, and skill certification opportunities in fields such as cosmetology, horticulture, welding, and heavy equipment operation. As the first state prison constructed in over three decades, it represents a pivotal step forward in Louisiana’s commitment to modernizing its corrections system.


The Scale of the Project

The project required over a quarter million concrete masonry units (CMUs) and a substantial amount of concrete, mortar, and grout. Masonry contractor DRP Masonry partnered with Amerimix, an Oldcastle APG Company, to simplify the logistics of mixing and application, ensuring a smooth workflow for the project’s 90-member crew.


Construction Practices and Material Efficiency

Typical prison construction practices were followed, with most exterior walls erected as tilt-up concrete panels. In the dormitories and other structures, the floors and roof systems are hollow core panels. The vast majority of the interior loadbearing and non-loadbearing partitions are made of CMUs, solid-grouted using Amerimix products. These design choices were made to achieve exceptionally robust structures with the significant interior strength required for a prison application.

The project required over 3,000 bulk bags of grout and 1,000 bulk bags of mortar – over 12 million pounds in total. Efficiency was key, and Amerimix’s pre-blended bags, which only require the addition of water, saved significant time, effort, and coordination.

“One of our biggest draws to Amerimix is you just add water,” said Titus Stowe, Project Manager at DRP Masonry. “That alone saves so much time, effort, and coordination by not having to worry about field mixing with sand or dealing with a cement truck. The pre-blended bags take a lot out of the material and labor costs.”


Bulk-Bag Products and Customer Service

DRP needed a way to efficiently execute the construction process over the 30-acre job site. The bulk-bag products shined in this regard.

“The ability to set up multiple mixing stations utilizing silos with 15,000- and 30,000-pound capacities made it possible for us to work on each end of the job site, on demand, without relocating materials,” said Stowe.

Customer service and trust were also key considerations for DRP in selecting Amerimix for the project. Close relationships and detailed coordination between the material manufacturer and the mason were essential for navigating the complexities of large-scale construction endeavors like LCIW.

“The relationship we have with Amerimix is an important factor. They answer the phone, they give us fair pricing, and we get really good service from our reps,” said Philip Williams, Co-Owner/VP of DRP Masonry. “We probably lay two million blocks a year as a company and 80% of that is using Amerimix.”


Supporting the Incarcerated Women

Many of the women from LCIW were temporarily placed at the nearby Elayn Hunt Correctional Center. Timothy Wilkinson, a former inmate there, told the Baton Rouge Advocate that women are often overlooked because they are a small fraction of the 26,000 people in state prisons.

“This is not just a new facility to add more people to prison,” he said. “It’s going to continue the steps and the growth that the department has taken to help make people ready to come back into society.”


A Commitment to Strength, Efficiency, and Security

The construction of the women’s facility exemplifies the pinnacle of strength, efficiency, and security in correctional facility development. This state-of-the-art facility will better accommodate Louisiana’s incarcerated population and allow for improved security in the community and within the building itself.