Bookmark & share:

E-mail this page E-mail a letter to the editor Reader Comments (below)

Overcrowding that has hampered his ability to respond to the increasing number of mentally ill inmates he is being forced to house.

Overcrowding that has limited the rehabilitative resources he can offer his charges.

Overcrowding that has taxed the patience of his staff and prisoners, creating major safety concerns.

On Thursday, the governor offered Sheriff Liberty a long-term solution: turn your jail over to the state.

In a plan with few details, but far-reaching social and economic consequences, Gov. John Baldacci proposed that the state take over running Maine's 15 county jails, combine them with the state prisons and create a single, statewide corrections system.

First-year savings could top $10 million, he says; by 2015, the money saved from closing jails, consolidating administration and sharing resources could total nearly $38 million.

"The current system is inefficient and unsustainable," Baldacci said in floating his proposal. "People are getting hurt, they aren't receiving the care they need, and the burden for this outdated system is falling directly onto the backs of property taxpayers."

We agree with the governor on all counts and we believe his plan merits an honest and vigorous debate. Initial responses indicate the dialogue will indeed be vigorous, though less than forthright.

As they did last year when the governor first proposed reducing Maine's 290 school districts into 80 regional districts, local corrections officials and lawmakers responded to Baldacci's jail plan with skepticism and some with strident criticism.

n An angry Phil Roy, chairman of the Somerset County Commissioners, said his county would immediately halt plans to build a $30 million jail there.

n Rep. Janet Mills, D-Farmington, believes there is room for more collaboration between the state and county, but isn't sure about ceding control to the state. And she was skeptical about the governor's proposal to close four jails. "We need all the beds available statewide," she said.

n Sheriff Liberty questioned how there could be savings when state workers earn substantially more than his deputies.

n And Rep. Patsy Crockett, whose husband is a Kennebec County commissioner, questioned the wisdom of closing jails and transferring inmates throughout the system away from their families. She said it not only increases transportation costs, but makes it harder on inmates who need support. "I'm not for pampering inmates, but there are many emotional factors," she said.

The governor, taking note of lawmakers' objections, said he would not back down. "It's going to happen whether they get religion now or in January," he said, raising the possibility of a special session to air the plan.

The governor's office says that over the last three years, the cost to run county jails grew an average of 12 percent a year. Over that same period, the cost to run the state prison system grew an average of 6 percent a year. Those numbers alone would suggest there's merit in the governor's proposal. But so does the reporting by this newspaper over the last several months.

Today, we continue our coverage of the jail overcrowding issue with the first installment of a three-day series that looks more deeply at the problem and attempts to answer some of the whys. We talk to the folks who run the jail; the state's top corrections official, who agrees conditions are worrisome; and the inmates who live it every day.

We think the governor's idea is a good one. The dialogue has begun. More details will be forthcoming. County officials and state lawmakers need to give it a fair hearing.

Bookmark and share this story: