WGME -“I believe in redemption. I believe we have all fallen short in one way or another. The people that I’ve worked with within county and state correctional facilities are redeemable. There are a lot of good employees there, and a lot of good opportunities for you employers,” Maine Corrections Commissioner Randall Liberty said during a Maine Development Foundation forum in Rockland titled “Hiring Workers from the Justice System.”
Maine has five adult correctional facilities statewide. They house about 2,400 inmates serving an average sentence of about 18 months, according to Deputy Corrections Commissioner Ryan Thornell. The number of new inmates entering the system each year is about equal to the number of inmates who are released.
Throughout their incarceration, inmates have access to a range of vocational, educational, substance abuse and criminogenic programs. Thornell said the department’s ability to provide this programming, which the DOC intends to increase under the new administration, positions the department to tackle some of the big issues facing the state, such as addiction and maintaining a skilled workforce.
“We have an interest in ensuring public safety, addressing addiction needs, providing meaningful programming and opportunities that hopefully make [inmates] successful,” Thornell said. “We also have an opportunity and a willing population to train in certain skill sets and connect them with employment opportunities that directly impact Maine’s economy.”
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