Bill to fund prison expansion could lead to DCF closure

A bill before the legislative Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety may have consequences for the Downeast Correctional Facility (DCF) prison located in Washington County. If passed, the bill would amend current law regarding the authority of the Maine Governmental Facilities Authority to issue bonds to increase the maximum level of securities outstanding for correctional facilities to $165 million. The bill specifies that the funds must be used for the Maine Correctional Center (MCC) in South Windham, and the bill as written would not require the bond measure to go before voters.
The funds would be used to replace, renovate and expand the MCC and could mean the closure of the Washington County prison. While the bill does not mention the closure of any prisons in the state and has very little detail to it, Rep. Will Tuell of East Machias is concerned because of previous efforts to fund "super prisons" by closing smaller prisons around the state. In his public testimony he reiterated his position that small regional prisons work well. Rather than consolidating correctional facilities to a few sites that will mean loss of jobs and resources at the local level, he suggests that providing resources to the existing regional prisons would support a system already in place. The bill remains in committee and has been tabled for a future work session date.
Tuell explains that since the original bill was considered, work sessions have been held to hammer out concerns. "The Department of Corrections is floating the idea of a 30-bed prison in Washington County. Details are in short supply at this point, and technically there is no proposal to do so in this bill at this time. Nor has any other bill been proposed for our area."
He adds, "How much this is going to cost, where it is going to be located, whether they have done any due diligence, or anything else, is still a work in progress. I can tell you from conversations I've had with several committee members that there is still a good deal of cynicism around the bill. Some of this centers around shifting costs C costs which will only shift further if we close DCF and put a new facility somewhere -- and on whether the bond should go out to the voters."
The lack of public vote on the large expenditure of tax dollars is also a sticking point for Tuell. In his public testimony he states, "All last session we heard about how the legislature should respect the voters. I bought into that; many of you did, too. Well, if we're being consistent, and we are really convinced we need to put this proposal forward, let's respect the voters and give them a say on how their money is spent."
Those in favor of the bill cited the need for an upgraded and modernized facility with additional capacity for female inmates and treatment space for the mentally ill, sex offenders and substance abusers. The facility is about 100 years old and has been the focus of modernization plans numerous times. DOC Commissioner Dr. Joseph Fitzpatrick has stated that the plan could mean the number of substance abuse beds going from under 80 to almost 250. "Space for female prisoners is at a crisis point," Fitzpatrick said in his public testimony. Geriatric prisoner care is also an area of concern for the state's aging prison population.

Community service provided by DCF
Downeast Correctional Facility was opened in 1985 on the site of a former military radar installation built in 1955. With the exception of a metal building installed in 2000 to house the industrial arts program, a 1989 double‑wide administrative building and a laundry annex, the prison is housed in the 1954 buildings and has not had any major building additions or renovations. It is a minimum security prison with a capacity for 149 inmates and about 55 employees.
The facility prepares inmates for their release, primarily through programs that teach basic life skills as well as workplace skills, such as welding, that can translate into employment and careers. Many of the vocational programs also include a community service component with many prisoners working on projects for the county, municipalities, civic groups and nonprofits. A community service crew might put in around 25,000 hours in one year on projects that range from removing the docks from the Greenland Point Center, repairing an air boat for the Maine Warden Service, building fire trucks, fixing fleet vehicles that belong to the state or contributing carpentry skills for a building project. The facility also makes prison garments for the entire state prison system.