Commissioner weighs options to open prison

On February 5, the day before he was officially sworn in as the commissioner of the Maine Department of Corrections, Randall Liberty visited Washington County to gather information for the possible reopening of the Downeast Correctional Facility (DCF). Liberty, who was appointed by Governor Janet Mills and served as acting commissioner since January 4, says he and the new governor are committed to opening a correctional facility in Washington County. In fact, he said, the subject came up when he interviewed for the position. "The first thing [Mills] said to me is, 'We're opening something in Washington County,'" Liberty says in an interview. "It's very important to her. It's important to me."
Former Governor Paul LePage closed DCF abruptly in the early morning hours of February 9, 2018, relocating 63 inmates and laying off 39 staff. Since then, former employees, area residents, state and local officials and legislators have been fighting to get the facility reopened.
Mills' proposed two‑year state budget includes $3.8 million to be used toward the opening of a correctional center in Washington County, says Liberty, who toured the existing building during his February 5 visit and then held separate meetings with former employees and the public. "I'm going to be informed before I make any decisions," he says.
Although the state is committed to reopening DCF, the details of how or when this will be done have not been established, Liberty says. Two options include refurbishing the existing facility or building a new one. "The old facility is a 1950s‑era Air Force base," Liberty says. "There may be some changes [needed] with that space." The Maine Department of Corrections must consider standards set by the American Correctional Association regarding items such as square footage and the number of showers available, he says. In order to determine the costs of upgrading the existing facility versus building a new one, Liberty commissioned SMRT Architects and Engineers Inc. to provide an estimate by mid-March. SMRT has designed most of the correctional facility projects in Maine over the past 30 years. "We're exploring the options and seeing what makes sense," Liberty says.
Former employees, especially those who remain unemployed, want to see the existing facility used because they believe it will be cheaper and quicker, says Liberty, adding that this is an important consideration. "I want to do right by the people of Washington County and the employees," he says.

Strong support for original facility
Former prison employee Kevin Millay of Northfield says officials have proposed opening a facility that would house only 50 inmates. At its peak, the DCF housed as many as 150 people. He says he told Liberty that not opening something comparable to what previously existed would be "screwing [former employees] again because you're shutting them out." Millay was able to retire a year before the closure after more than 30 years of service, so he has nothing to gain personally by the prison reopening. "I'm self-employed," he says. "I wouldn't go back anyway, but there are lots of people who would."
In addition to providing good jobs locally, the prison served the community in other ways. For example, because of labor shortages, many local companies hired inmates, especially for seasonal work, and are eager to hire them again, says Millay. "Fifty beds doesn't even touch the need," he says. Inmates on work release paid 20% of their income for room and board, and this money went back into the state's general fund. "That doesn't count the 30,000 hours in community service the inmates were doing every year," Millay says.
Former employees say they favor reopening the prison in the existing building rather than constructing a new one. For one thing, Millay says, there isn't any suitable land in the area on which to build a prison. In addition, the kitchen and heating system at the former DCF building were upgraded before the closure. Inmates had also installed new windows. Any required additional repairs and upgrades would be minimal, he says, adding that using the existing building would also mean getting a facility open more quickly.
Former employee JJ Tibbetts of Machiasport agrees. "I'm hoping, I'm hoping," says the former correctional trades instructor who had worked at the prison since 1994. "I don't really trust much of the [corrections] department," he says, but "it sounded like they definitely want a facility, and they're leaning to the old facility."
Tibbetts' longtime girlfriend, Melissa Hinerman, also wants to see the existing building used. "For me, it only makes sense to reopen DCF and get our people back to work," she says. "Why spend an unforeseeable amount of money on a new prison when a perfectly good state facility is being underutilized? At the time of its illegal closure, DCF was in the later stages of being fully updated. Why invest so much and not use it?"
Local officials such as state Rep. Will Tuell of East Machias reacted positively to Liberty's visit. Tuell says the legislature's Downeast delegation is "very pleased that the government is committed to having the facility in Washington County."
Machias Town Manager Christina Therrien concurs, saying Liberty listened to ideas and concerns brought up by those attending the public meeting. "I really, truly appreciate the fact that [Liberty] came down," she says. While she doesn't favor one plan over the other, Therrien says she sees merit in the arguments for constructing a new prison because using the existing one will likely give opponents fuel to lobby for shutting it down again, citing its age. "We should really be considering long term what's best," she says.
Millay says he believes Mills will make good on her promise to reopen the facility and that officials will scrap plans for only 50 beds. Still, he is cautious because he's been wrong before. "I said a year ago, [the state] would never close it," he quips.