The Two Bridges Regional Jail Authority has agreed to increase the Wiscasset facility’s inmate count following the state’s agreement to help fund additional staff.
Several jail representatives met with the working group of the state Board of Corrections last week to negotiate a settlement that both the state and Multi-County Jail Authority could live with.
“It went better than we expected,” said Authority Chairman Sheridan Bond. “Everything seems to be heading in the right direction.”
On June 10, the Jail Authority had voted unanimously on a resolution refusing to enlarge the jail population to the extent the state envisioned unless the state provided funding for additional staff. Otherwise, the jail’s mandated operational budget cap would not allow for the proposed population increase.
TBRJ Correctional Administrator Mark Westrum said earlier he would not jeopardize his personnel by allowing more inmates in the jail beyond the average 120-140 without additional corrections officers. Under the terms of the agreement reached June 15, the jail will allow up to a 185 inmates.
“The state wanted us to do things that we couldn’t do without the extra funding,” Bond said.
“We have a mission statement, and we want to make sure we can continue it,” Bond said. He listed ongoing programs such as the industries programs intended to help inmates develop skills and confidence to make it back to the community.
“The bottom line is the inmates are our neighbors,” he said.
Last week, Bond, Correctional Administrator Mark Westrum and other officials met with the working group co-chaired by Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett and Denise Lord, deputy commissioner of the state Board of Corrections to negotiate terms for the compromise.
The board agreed to fund the hiring of five additional officers this year and another five officers next year to take care of the security needs for the Wiscasset facility. The additional staff will allow for two additional correctional officers per shift, Bond said.
Jail officers showed a PowerPoint presentation demonstrating reasons for more officers, including more visitors, more medical personnel, increased cafeteria staff and many other considerations that multiply supervision needs. Working committee members said they feel the jail has done a good job, Bond said.
News of the promised funding came just in time for an additional 40 inmates the jail will take in from Waldo County Jail. The jail will close sometime this week for restructuring to fit the state’s new centralized correctional system, according to Bond. Under the new system, Waldo County Jail will have a change in mission from a full service jail to a 72-hour holding facility.
Bond said the increased population will mean double-bunking for many of the cells that currently hold only one inmate, but the cells in the housing pods were built to allow that kind of expansion. The entire facility has the capacity for a maximum 225 inmates with additional construction.
As it stands currently, the revenue from Waldo County Jail will be $26 per day while the state’s inmates will only generate $22 daily. Jail administrators would like to see the state’s cost per day increase to at least the same as Waldo County’s.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Bond said.
State inmates usually go to the jail near the end of their sentences. When they go to the jail, they often become dissatisfied because they lack some of the benefits they have with state Dept. of Corrections, such as televisions in their cells, video games, and the right to wear their own clothes, according to jail officials.
“State prisoners that come to us, beg to go back,” Bond said.
