Mills Administration Reopens New Downeast Correctional Facility in Washington County; Restores Union Jobs

Last Friday, Governor Janet Mills and Randall Liberty took part in a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the new Downeast Correctional Facility in Machiasport. The ceremony represented a promise fulfilled to former DCF workers, members of AFSCME 2968 and MSEA SEIU 1989, who spent years lobbying lawmakers and the Governor to save the facility.“Without warning, and without the approval of the Legislature, Downeast Correctional Facility was unilaterally closed under the cover of darkness, its staff placed on administrative leave, and inmates moved to entirely different facilities, devastating local businesses that relied on them as employees and shocking this community,” said Governor Mills. “As Attorney General, I fought that illegal move and when I became Governor, I continued my efforts to do right by this community … This new facility will not only provide an important service to Maine, but it will support employers who need workers and help inmates as they reenter society.”The new facility is the result of a 2019 agreement between the Mills Administration and the Washington County legislative delegation to build a new pre-release center on the grounds of the previous Downeast Correctional Facility, which was suddenly and illegally closed by the LePage in administration in the middle of the night in February, 2018. DCF workers, members of AFSCME 2968 and the Maine Service Employees Association, spent over a year fighting to reopen the center by contacting legislators, writing letters and visiting the State House. In 2018, union members and their families lobbied then-gubernatorial candidate Janet Mills to pledge to come up with a plan for reopening DCF if elected Governor.

The new facility has 15 employees, about 25 less than it did it before, but they’re good jobs, says DCF corrections officer Mark Greenlaw, a member of AFSCME 2968. Greenlaw, who worked at DCF for 14 years prior to its closure, started training in September while clearing land that had become overgrown and organizing new inventory. He applauded the decision to reopen the facility as it will allow employees to continue the careers supporting residents transition to the outside world.

“The residents get the opportunity to learn new trades and skills at real jobs earning real wages to help them pay off fines, restitution, child support as well as to save for when they are released,” said Greenlaw. “Many of the residents we had before the work release program didn’t have any money when they were released. They ended up going to homeless shelters in Bangor and most times that just leads to reoffending. With the work release program, some of the money is automatically taken out and put into a savings account that they can’t use until they are released. Residents who are released with money in their pockets and skills to keep a job are less likely to reoffend. When you figure it costs $30,000 (national average) per resident per year, tax payers can save money if we can keep residents from returning to prison.”

Greenlaw added that several resident have kept their jobs that they had on work release and some of them have since become supervisors at Maine Wild Blueberry in Machias after they were released.

Construction of the new facility, which began in September 2020, was done by local contractors and came in under the $8 million authorized budget. Residents began moving into the new facility in January 2022. The new facility is energy efficient, with LED lighting, energy efficient windows, energy star rated appliances and 118 roof top solar panels which have already produced 17.8 MW of energy since the new year.