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| Maine Residents To Vote on Jail Proposal |
| By The Central Maine Morning Sentinel |
| Published: 10/31/2005 |
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A proposed new $30 million jail is easily the most expensive decision Somerset County voters have ever faced. Whether that money would be a wise investment is the question they will have to answer when they go to the polls Nov. 8. Passage of the referendum would mean construction of a new jail on a 34-acre parcel of land on East Madison Road in Madison. With room for 173 inmates assuming double occupancy, the new facility would include the Sheriffs Department and would replace the overcrowded, deteriorating Court Street jail that has served the county since about 1897. Detractors call the proposal a "Taj Mahal" that is simply too expensive for one of the poorest counties in the state. They say a county jail committee has failed to study cheaper alternatives. Proponents, however, say that while a new jail would be costly, the investment would serve voters well over the long term, controlling the single-largest and fastest-growing expense in the county's budget and offering ample room for future expansion if needed. Principal and interest make up only about 10 percent of the cost of a jail over its lifetime, say supporters. Staffing makes up about 80 percent. According to a report by SMRT, the Portland architectural and engineering firm that designed the proposed jail, a new facility in Madison would be the cheapest of three options. The other options are: continuing to board out the rising number of excess prisoners, or renovating and expanding the existing jail. The one point on which everyone seems to agree is that the existing jail is no longer adequate. The existing jail is falling apart, with leaky plumbing, an unreliable and inadequate closed-circuit camera system, and a long list of code and safety violations. Inmates are kept in cells that are usually monitored a few minutes every half hour. There are no specialized facilities for the mentally ill, inmates with addiction problems, or women, who make up an increasing percentage of jail populations everywhere. State corrections officials say the single most serious problem with the jail is overcrowding -- a problem that is worsening as the number of county inmates grows at 4 percent a year. The official capacity of the jail is 45, but with a variance from the Department of Corrections, it can hold 55. In 2005, the county was responsible for about 72 inmates per day, with excess inmates often being sent to jails in Cumberland and York counties. Even with the variance, the county expects to spend $574,000 a year boarding out inmates at other jails, most often in the southern part of the state. Sheriff Barry DeLong said that if the county does not make progress in fixing problems at the jail, he fears the Department of Corrections will withdraw the variance. If that happens, the cost of the boarding out prisoners could more than double. Longer-term, he said, the state will eventually force the county to correct problems at the jail, which would probably further decrease its capacity and drive boarding costs up even more. With most of the state's jails already overcrowded, the few remaining jails with space for boarders are quickly filling up. The Department of Corrections estimates the state's jails will be out of capacity this decade. In the meantime, the cost of available beds has already begun to rise. But that overcrowding becomes a positive if the county builds a new jail. With bed space for 172, the new jail could boost revenues by accepting boarders from other counties. Assuming only about 60 percent of available beds were filled, the county could significantly lower the cost of the jail over the next 30 years by accepting boarders. The 30-year life cycle cost of the jail would be $122 million, assuming boarders were accepted. The do nothing' option is projected to cost $165.3 million over the next 30 years, while a renovated and expanded jail on the current site would be expected to cost $144.2 million, according to SMRT. |
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