County tackling chronic overcrowding at jail

BANGOR – With the inmate population at the Penobscot County Jail regularly exceeding its rated capacity and those numbers expected to rise, county commissioner Peter Baldacci asked last week at the commissioners’ meeting, “Could you put up a sign and say, ‘We’re full’?”

But it’s a serious matter Baldacci and other county officials acknowledge, and one not easily answered. Despite efforts to curb the inmate population, including work programs, crowding at the jail continues.

Last year, the jail averaged 174 inmates each day and peaked at 201 in a facility built 20 years ago to house 136 inmates.

State officials, who have been monitoring the jail for the past 18 months, granted a contingency that allowed the jail to house 164 inmates using classroom space to bunk inmates to ease the problem. But a state official acknowledged that was intended as a temporary fix.

Ralph Nichols, director of correctional inspections and professional practices for the Maine Department of Corrections, said Sunday, “That has just turned into regular housing because of the population problem.”

Four classrooms and a pingpong recreation area have been used as sleeping quarters to meet demand, said the Rev. Bob Carlson, the jail’s director of planning and staff development as well as a former jail administrator.

A review earlier this year found that the bunking had spilled out into egress corridors in the cell blocks, a violation of life safety codes, Nichols said.

The state is pressing the county to make changes, including restoring the classroom space to its intended purpose.

Nichols said they are looking for a permanent solution, but in the meantime will consider granting a variance provided the county shows that it is making progress toward a permanent solution.

Penobscot County commissioners Tuesday authorized jail officials to move forward with a variance application, an extensive process that involves establishing a jail review committee and architectural and engineering studies.

If granted, the variance would allow the jail to house 182 inmates. Without it, the jail would have to board out all inmates exceeding its rated capacity of 136. At about $100 a day for each inmate, county officials estimate it will cost the county $1.27 million a year to board them out without a variance.

The boarding cost likely would push the county budget over the tax cap limit. With a variance in place, county administrator Bill Collins estimated last week that boarding costs would constitute 3 percent to 4 percent of a budget increase capped at 4.7 percent.

With a new jail facility, whether a joint venture with other counties or Penobscot County going solo, still a distant thought, Penobscot County officials are looking at other ways of reducing the population and maximizing the use of space.

Jail officials are proposing double bunking in the minimum- and medium-security cell blocks, but that would require adding eight corrections officers to provide supervision in the cell blocks where intermittent supervision sufficed in the past.

Adding those positions would cost $291,143, although savings could be realized because of a reduced need to call in replacements for officers who are sick. The additional staff, two officers for each of the four 12-hour shifts, could fill in where needed, including after hours taking juveniles to the youth correctional facility in Charleston instead of having them stay overnight in the jail.

Some of the options would build upon existing successes, such as the jail work program.

Penobscot County Sheriff Glenn Ross proposed to the commissioners expanding the number of work crews doing roadside cleanups and other projects assisting local municipalities. Inmates receive one day off their sentence for every 16 hours they work.

Ross told the commissioners he would be looking into why the alternate sentencing program for drunken driving convictions isn’t being used as much as it could be and into increasing the use of pre- and post-sentencing programs available through the Volunteers of America program.

“I’m concerned that we have inmates that are able to work but aren’t able to get out because the existing work crews that we have are full,” Ross said, asking the commissioners to provide the equipment and transportation necessary to expand the program.