The Penobscot County Jail was built to hold roughly 150 inmates, but for years it has been over capacity. County officials are doing more with less without further burdening property taxpayers, but overcrowding and underfunding make this tough job more and more difficult.
That’s despite creative efforts to cut operating costs such as boarding inmates at other facilities and developing alternatives to jail time for low-risk inmates under certain conditions. Other county jails are in similar or even worse situations because of a funding formula that doesn’t adequately address the needs of these facilities and the communities they serve.
The genesis of these problems has two sources. First, increasing numbers of inmates are being held on relatively minor charges, such as failure to pay a fine or because of an inability to post a bond. The second dates back to 2008 with the creation of the Board of Corrections and jail consolidation.
Consolidation aimed to address overcrowding and provide property tax relief. To that end, counties’ ability to levy taxes to cover jail costs was capped with the intent that the state would provide additional funding.
The administration, however, refused to appoint Board of Corrections members, rendering it defunct, and it was formally abolished last year. But the promise of increased support had not been kept, and despite some additional funding in 2015, the fiscal problems worsened.
Lawmakers took action to pass a near-term fix in the form of LD 1614, which provided more than $2.4 million to keep county jails working. As a Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee member, I worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to connect county jails with these desperately needed resources and protect local property taxpayers.
The measure earned support from the Maine County Commissioners Association, the Mayors’ Coalition and the Maine Sheriffs’ Association. Thanks to hard work by members of our bipartisan committee, county sheriffs and others, the bill passed with strong support despite the governor’s veto.
Lawmakers supported the bill in recognition of the crucial role our county jails play in keeping our communities safe and their increasingly important role in our corrections system. Not only are they responsible for creating a safe environment for the public, inmates and staff, they also work to reduce recidivism and save tax dollars.
County-level law enforcement and corrections officials are on the front lines of our state’s drug epidemic. Inmates often come to our county jails struggling with substance abuse or mental illness. These institutions are tasked with vital public safety work — all while costs continue to rise and budgets tighten.
When we came together to support this funding, we also were recognizing the importance of protecting local property taxpayers. County jails are supported with a mix of state general fund dollars and property taxes. Without adequate state funding, property taxpayers are in danger of being on the hook for a growing proportion of the costs of running our jails.
Too many Mainers are already struggling with rising property taxes. Young families and seniors on fixed incomes can’t afford to pick up even more of the bill. Those dollars would come straight from the pockets of working Mainers and the local businesses that are the backbone of our economy.
Asking property taxpayers to make up the difference isn’t the answer. Compromising public safety by cutting needed programming and corrections staff isn’t acceptable, either. Preventing these harmful outcomes is what made it so important for lawmakers to reach an agreement this session.
This badly needed funding will keep county jails operating for now, but their situation still is urgent. Lawmakers must shift the focus to a long-term bipartisan solution that works for taxpayers and protects the public. I’m committed to working with all stakeholders to find the best option for Penobscot County and our entire state.
To protect the public and prevent a massive cost-shift onto property taxpayers, finding a more permanent fix to keep our county jails functioning should be at the top of the agenda for lawmakers during the coming year. Let’s build on the common ground we were able to find this session in order to move forward.
Rep. Jim Davitt, D-Hampden, is serving his first term in the Maine House and represents Hampden and Newburgh. A professor of justice studies at the University of Maine at Augusta, Davitt serves on the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.