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Jenn Morin is the mayor of Brewer.
Residents of Penobscot County are having an important public conversation about the future of the jail. Some residents, including activist Doug Dunbar, have raised concerns about the cost of a new facility and argue that Maine should focus instead on diversion programs, mental health care, and addressing the root causes of incarceration.
These concerns deserve to be heard. Many of us share the belief that substance use treatment, mental health support, housing stability and diversion initiatives are essential to reduce the number of people cycling through the criminal justice system.
But we must be honest: this is not an either/or choice.
Penobscot County’s current jail is outdated, overcrowded and fails to meet modern standards for safety and humane treatment. The facility is not simply old — it is fundamentally inadequate for the responsibilities we demand of it.
No one should accept a public building where basic medical needs are handled through patchwork solutions. In what world should critical equipment be run off an extension cord? That is the reality right now at the Penobscot County Jail.
We would not tolerate that in a school, hospital or nursing home. We should not tolerate it in a jail.
The county has a legal and moral obligation to house individuals safely — including people awaiting trial who have not been convicted of a crime. A jail is not optional. There will always be individuals who must be detained for public safety, court proceedings or because no alternative placement exists.
The question is not whether we need a jail. The question is whether we will operate one that meets basic constitutional and human standards.
The Brewer City Council has already taken a clear position, passing a resolution supporting a new jail facility. That decision reflects what many local leaders understand: Doing nothing is not compassionate, and continuing to operate in a failing building is not sustainable.
From a taxpayer standpoint, it is also not fiscally responsible to keep pouring money into a facility that cannot be modernized. Maintaining the current jail is like dumping resources into an obsolete car — a Yugo that isn’t made anymore and for which parts no longer exist. You can keep patching it, but it will never meet today’s standards, and the costs only grow.
Opponents often describe a new jail as “just bricks and mortar.” But that framing misses the point. A modern facility is the infrastructure required to deliver shelter, programming, treatment and safe working conditions.
Diversion advocates are right to demand better mental health resources and support for people struggling with addiction. But the current jail was never designed to provide those things. It lacks space and appropriate environments for treatment, reentry programming or crisis care.
A new facility can — and must — support the kinds of programs critics say they want: medical care, mental health services, substance use treatment and pathways toward successful reentry.
Diversion is critical, but it does not relieve the county of its immediate responsibility to ensure public safety and operate a facility that is constitutional, safe, and humane today.
Recently, I met with a member of the “No Penobscot Jail Expansion” group who had strong opinions about the project, yet had never toured the current jail. Many people engaged in this debate have not seen firsthand what the county is working with.
Sheriff Troy Morton has made it clear that he wants the public to see the jail firsthand. I encourage anyone with concerns to take him up on that invitation, speak with corrections staff and understand the conditions that exist right now.
We should absolutely pursue more diversion and invest in prevention and treatment. But refusing to build a safe jail will not solve these problems. It will only prolong unsafe conditions for inmates, staff and the community.
Penobscot County has an opportunity to do this responsibly: build a facility that meets modern standards and supports the programming needed to interrupt cycles of incarceration.
This is not a choice between compassion and construction. It is a call to meet our obligations with humanity, responsibility and leadership.