Prison pitch

Pursuing economic development is a way of life in Washington County. That practice is paying off with a nearly perfect pitch to become half of the state’s new two-prison corrections system.

Maine must redesign its prisons — the second-highest per inmate cost in the nation is unacceptable and the eight overlapping, inefficient facilities clearly are the cause. Gov. Angus King deserves praise for identifying problem, as does his corrections advisory panel for outlining a solution.

The process took a bit of a wrong turn this summer, though, when the panel went beyond recommending two prisons to recommending that they both be in Southern Maine, Warren and Windham. Among the six to be closed would be Downeast Correctional Facility in Machiasport, at a loss of 70 badly needed jobs. It was an unfortunate rush to judgment that ignored history, geography and economics. It is a mistake that can, and should, be fixed.

The answers to the how and why are provided in a new proposal by the Downeast Correctional Facility Retention Committee, a group of local officials, legislators, economic developers, job trainers, educators, bankers and business owners who have banded together to save what jobs the region has and to grab a few more if they can. Here are some highlights from the proposal.

First, the history. DCF was built in 1985 from a converted military installation despite initial resistence in the community. The state overcame those objections by repeatedly stressing the economic benefit of the new jobs and of the local spending it would generate. The state cannot in good conscience now say that the 70 jobs and the $4.2 million spent each year in one of Maine’s most chronically depressed regions are not factors to be considered.

Geography has long been the region’s bane, but the remoteness argument — nothing can go into Washington County because there’s nothing there — must not be allowed to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Machias has the medical, mental health and education professionals to serve inmates. More will move in if there’s work. The local university and technical college campuses can train staff. If the somewhat dilapidated DCF cannot be upgraded and expanded, there’s plenty of acreage for a new prison nearby — Machias’s industrial park or the Air Force’s closed radar station at Columbia Falls for starters. Travel for inmate families is a hardship no matter where a prison is located. It’s a non-issue and should remain so.

The economics component is a slam dunk. Washington County’s unemployment rate is stuck at around 10 percent. It has a large and willing workforce. If low per-inmate costs and low staff turnover rates are reliable measures, DCF is one of the most efficient prisons in the existing system. Southern Maine has virtually full employment, businesses there are offering bounties for new workers. Prison work is demanding and not especially rewarding financially. Greener pastures are not hard to find, so an expanded prison in Windham would constantly be scrounging for staff, adding to training costs. Finally, federal funding guidelines give preference to prisons built in depressed regions.

The long, grueling process of modernizing Maine’s antiquated prison system will take years, but it begins in earnest when the Legislature convenes in January. Rather than start the debate with the tired litany of why it can’t work in Washington County, lawmakers should use the DCF Retention Committee proposal as the basis for why it can and should.