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| Corrections commissioner describes how Maine State Prison is striving to reduce violence |
| By bangordailynews.com - Stephen Betts |
| Published: 04/16/2013 |
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WARREN, Maine — Inmate gangs that extort and intimidate other prisoners exist in every facility across the country, but Maine Department of Corrections Commissioner Joseph Ponte said steps have been taken to control such violence at the Maine State Prison. And more changes are on the horizon. Ponte agreed to a nearly hour-long interview recently at the Maine State Prison to discuss issues concerning violence at the maximum-security complex, references to which were made during testimony last month in the attempted murder trial of inmate Franklin Higgins. Ponte, who was hired as corrections commissioner in 2011, said he has been at prisons that are much more violent, including a 3,000-bed facility in Arizona that included many California inmates and a very strong gang presence. He said there were many beatings and serious injuries at the Arizona facility. “Here, there is more frequency of assaults, fights than in other facilities of the same size, but the harm to individuals seems to be less,” Ponte said. Read More. |
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