ME- Maine State Prison Comes Under Legislative Scrutiny

7-1-2009 Maine:

Over the past year, the Maine State Prison has been the scene of a murder (Sex Offender Sheldon Weinstein, 64, from New Hartford, N.Y), a hunger strike and a hostage crisis that have frayed nerves at the 900-inmate facility in Warren. Besides pitting prisoners against corrections officers, the incidents have also increased tensions between the admininistration and staff. Now a legislative watch dog panel wants to know how the state Department of Corrections plans to change the culture within the prison.

Two weeks ago, the state medical examiner concluded that the death of a 64-year-old sex offender at the prison in April was the result of blunt force trauma. This spring there was a week-long hunger strike by prisoners at the jail. And last year, a guard and an inmate were taken hostage by a prisoner.

State Sen. David Trahan says corrections officers are reluctant to report problems for fear of retaliation from their supervisors.

"A number of previous employees, employees at the prison currently, came to me with these concerns, that they felt a disconnect with the administration, they didn't feel comfortable coming forward with concerns around health issues, treatment of prisoners, treatment of employees," he says. "So they came to me and asked me to move forward with a review through OPEGA."

A Waldoboro Republican, Trahan sits on the Legislature's Government Oversight Committee that oversees the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability, known as OPEGA. He and other members of the panel received a report they say shows that the Maine State Prison culture is one of intimidation and retaliation by the administration, part of what Trahan refers to as a "good old boy" network.

The five-term lawmaker says he's not entirely reassured by his panel's decision to allow the prison administration to come up with its own plan for a cultural correction.

"I'm a little uncomfortable with the approach of letting the administration who these employees feel uncomfortable with resolve the issues, so I'm going to insist that we keep a more active role in watching what happens," Trahan says. "One of the terms that the OPEGA review talked about was the 'good old boy system.' I want to make sure that this good old boy system -- if it does exist to the degree I think it does -- I want to make sure that that's broken up, and a new system is put in place that allows employees to feel comfortable coming forward."

"My sense is from the commissioner, this is something you live with in a correction atmosphere," says Committee member Richard Nass, an Acton Republican, who says he has had numerous dealings with Corrections Commissioner Martin Magnusson over the years.

Nass says no one feels comfortable at the Maine State Prison -- and for good reason. "The Commissioner and the Deputy are very good at -- when something comes up, something specific comes forward -- at being concerned about it. And I have doubts about whether they really think there is anything that they can ever do about it. And it's just part of the culture. It's a prison. I mean this is not a kindergarten or a high school, it's a prison."

The involvement of OPEGA staff on prison conditions was perceived as a small victory by Ron Huber of Rockland. Huber has protested the state's prison policies, particularly those involving the relocation of prisoners that he claims were transferred out of state simply for speaking out about conditions there.

"I'm very glad that the Legislature's OPEGA process is underway, that they actually are reviewing and evaluating this program," Huber says. "I think they're being very, very moderate, more moderate than they should be, but that's a good start. I think the onus should be on Governor Baldacci. Does he want to be known as the governor whose legacy is dozens of people exiled and a prison in chaos? I don't think so. I hope not."

The OPEGA review of the Maine State Prison has been ongoing since March. ..Source.. by : A.J. Higgins