With inmates sleeping on floors and others being sent out of state, Maine’s corrections system is amid a crisis. One answer may lie in a proposal to build a new prison in Washington County. Although numerous details need to be worked out, this proposal holds promise.

It was a decade ago that then-Gov. Angus King asked Washington County to convince him that the Downeast Correctional Facility should be included in the state’s plans for upgrading its prison system.

In a 1996 report, consultants hired by the state concluded Maine’s prison system was so costly because there were too many small prisons spread throughout the state. It suggested the state adopt a two-prison model, with inmates to be held in Warren and Windham.

Feeling betrayed, the Washington County delegation mobilized and made a case to Gov. King that their facility had value.

Gov. King was convinced, but a November 2002 bond issue to borrow $25 million to fund a new prison in Machias and renovations at the South Windham facility failed to gain voter support.

The benefits of the Washington County location remain. Despite being located in a hand-me-down military complex ill-suited to corrections work, the minimum-security DCF is one of the most efficient operations in the system. It has the lowest staff turnover rate. The community-service projects undertaken by inmates produce tens of millions of dollars in benefits to communities in one of the state’s poorest regions. The 75-plus jobs, with decent pay and benefits, are vital to that region.

Perhaps most important, as the state looks for places for new or expanded facilities, Washington County is welcoming.

They are also eager to work with the state to fund the facility. Through legislation passed last year, the Washington County Development Authority expanded its mission with an eye toward funding a new correctional facility. The authority could borrow money to construct a new prison and then lease the facility to the state. This would avoid a debate and vote on state borrowing.

Another promising aspect of the concept is that county officials are interested in locating county correctional facilities next to the state’s on the Bucks Harbor campus, which offer more than 40 acres of space. Although the prison populations can’t be mingling, combining food service, medical care and other functions could save both the county and state money. This could be a model for cooperation in other areas where jail overcrowding is becoming severe.

Earlier this week, Gov. John Baldacci set up a working group to further examine the prospects of this project. The group will look at the pros and cons of the proposal, while looking for the best way to structure it, and report to the next session of the Legislature.

This is far from the only solution to the area’s economic woes. The county, along with other parts of the state, would do better to look at private development, rather than government-funded work, to grow their economy.

As a way to ease prison overcrowding, this project is well worth further examination.