Maine — Jail and Prison Conditions — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Jail and Prison Conditions

Even if an inmate's sentence is not oppressively long, their treatment while incarcerated can still constitute subhuman treatment. Prisons are not medical facilities, but they regularly are forced to deal with mental health problems and care for elderly and terminally ill inmates. Food, if it's even edible, usually lacks enough nutrition for inmates' health to not deteriorate. Plus, with a lack of opportunities to see family, read, or gain skill sets, inmates are placed in buildings which lack any resemblance of the civilized world.

Double shifts, overtime common as Maine jails, prisons face staffing shortage

“The administrator of the Cumberland County Jail said overtime and double shifts are typically required of corrections officers twice a week as the jail faces a staffing shortage. The case of a corrections officer who police said had just come off a 16-hour shift at the jail before causing a crash in Gorham that killed a 9-year-old girl, is raising questions about the work load for officers. Police said Kenneth Morang, 61, admitted that he fell asleep before the July 21 crash on Route 25.“

ABC 8 Maine

July 30, 2019

UnderstaffingPhillip ReevesJuly 30, 2019ABC 8 Maine, MaineComment

Before death in prison, inmate was scared of cellmates, asked guard to move him

"Nobody realized that would happen. Probably [the guard] didn’t, either. But the problem is that there’s protocol and if you say you’re not safe or you need to move they’re supposed to go in and assess the situation. And maybe that wouldn’t have happened if [the guard] did.”

Bangor Daily News

August 3, 2018

Death in PrisonAnthony BradleyAugust 7, 2018Bangor Daily News, Maine

Jail and Prison Conditions

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