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Abigail Miller is a researcher, organizer, and advocate in Maine. She has a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a focus in criminal justice.
Question 1 on Penobscot County ballots asks if Penobscot County Jail (PCJ) should be able to move outside of Bangor. Though this is not a vote on expanding the jail, it’s one step in getting voters to fund a new and larger $80 million jail in Penobscot County.
Though crime rates have decreased in Maine over the last 50 years, the county spends millions each year boarding out incarcerated people to other facilities due to overcrowding at PCJ. However, I believe a new and larger jail is not the solution; affordable and humane alternatives exist.
I studied this in 2023-2024 for my undergraduate thesis with guidance from No PCJ Expansion. It became clear to me that high incarceration rates can be attributed to several unmet needs within the community, including a lack of accessible healthcare, mental health support, substance use disorder treatment, affordable housing, transportation, work, and access to community. When we respond to these issues with incarceration, jails become overcrowded and people do not receive meaningful support that changes outcomes.
One large increase in the jail population at PCJ was after an in-treatment mental health facility downsized in Bangor in the 1980s. Without alternative government-funded resources for these individuals, reliance on incarceration for those who need mental health support increased.
Beneficial mental health support is not fully offered in jail facilities. Incarceration can actually worsen these issues. I interviewed families of formerly incarcerated people at PCJ. Participants reported that some individuals at PCJ intentionally did not disclose their mental illnesses to correctional officers due to threats of solitary confinement. They also reported that many incarcerated people didn’t receive appropriate health services — even acquiring over-the-counter medication was challenging.
Many local nonprofits are already trying to bridge the gap between those in need and accessible services. Several organizations offer food security programs, housing, and free transportation. Food AND Medicine hosted a Peer Workforce Navigators program which helped connect people with jobs. Many organizations including Together Place and Breaking the Cycle offer support for substance use disorder, and access to community through peer-support and recovery. Needlepoint Sanctuary hosts a syringe service program. Several nonprofits offer other basic health and mental health support for no cost.
Inadequate funding and resources are typically the largest barriers for nonprofits to connect people with services. If collectively granted a sum of $10 million, nine of the local organizations interviewed reported they could run effective programming that could meet critical needs and address the root causes of incarceration. Through funding these programs, the county could potentially avoid the proposed $80 million jail expansion and save on the current excessive spending of maintaining the jail.
Research demonstrates that funding social programming instead of incarceration can lead to a lower likelihood of returning to jail and better public safety outcomes. Programs that aim to meet community needs like housing, work, healthcare, and education can improve long-term community well-being without involvement of the criminal justice system at all.
Additionally, research shows that when jails increase capacity, arrest rates increase and jails become full again, regardless of crime rates. If jail beds exist, they will be filled.
Penobscot County has an opportunity to make better choices for Mainers. There is humanizing and transformative work that nonprofits are already doing to accomplish this. We have to continue to support local nonprofits who serve our towns. Donate, volunteer, and vote in support of these organizations.
I believe we must reject Question 1. The county commissioners are already spending $100,000 to reserve land in Hampden. If this question passes, they have every intention of moving forward in the process of purchasing this land and building a larger jail.
Meeting community needs through programming is more humane, effective, and affordable than jail expansion. With just an eighth of the cost proposed for the jail expansion, Penobscot County could better protect our neighbors, families, and communities. Vote no on Question 1.