Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

April 4, 2011

State House Notebook: Prison bill draws ire of coalition

From staff reports

Republican lawmakers from central Maine have proposed legislation that would allow the state to send Maine prisoners to correctional facilities in other states, drawing the ire of the Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition.

The group says it will oppose the measure, sponsored by state Sen. Doug Thomas, R-Ripley, and warned that it could lead to the building of a private, for-profit prison in Maine.

"This new legislation is sweeping and meets the terms of the deal that Corrections Corporation of America demands -- to move Maine prisoners to other states -- before it will build a prison in Maine," Judy Garvey, co-director of M-PAC, said in a news release.

Local officials in Milo have sought to have CCA build a prison in recent years, although an attempt by former Gov. John Baldacci, a Democrat, to pass a measure allowing the transfer of Maine prisoners out-of-state failed.

Thomas told WABI-TV in February he supports the effort on economic development grounds.

"We desperately need jobs, the unemployment rate is high in Milo," Thomas said to the television station. "How many $18 jobs are there in all of Piscataquis County? Very few, not enough that's for sure."

But Garvey said many families already find it difficult to travel to some of Maine's prisons and fear if their loved ones are taken out of Maine, they might not be able to visit them. Members of the coalition also said they were concerned about the transparency and accountability in private prisons.

Gov. Paul LePage, in statements made when he announced Joe Ponte as his selection to lead the Maine Department of Corrections, said he would oppose privatizing Maine's state prison system.

"My administration has absolutely no interest or intent of privatizing the current state system," he said then. "The only thing that I would ever do and contemplate is if a private sector prison company wanted to come to Maine and build a prison and pay taxes and house out-of-state prisoners, I may consider that."

Ponte used to work for CCA.

A public hearing on the bill has yet to be scheduled.

PANEL REJECTS MARIJUANA BILLS

The pair of measures aimed at increasing the amount of marijuana one could possess without facing criminal charges were unanimously rejected by the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee last week.

The proposals would have allowed people in possession of up to six plants or five ounces of usable marijuana to face only civil penalties. Maine already has the second highest limit for decriminalized possession in the country, at 2.5 ounces.

The legislation died despite bipartisan support and dozens of supporters who turned out for a lengthy public hearing, although law enforcement groups did offer unified opposition.

VACATION READING LIST?

The Maine People's Alliance, the lefty group that often challenges LePage on various issues, released a list of suggested vacation reading for the governor Friday, one day before he was scheduled to fly out for a week in Jamaica.

Longfellow Books in Portland offered to ship the books to LePage for free.

"Perhaps spending a little time relaxing on the beach reading up on conflict resolution, labor history and environmental science will change the governor's attitude and tone," said Chris Bowe, bookstore co-owner and a member of the Maine Small Business Coalition.

Three of the books on the list of eight:

"Silent Spring," by Rachel Carson; "Mural Painting Secrets for Success," by Gary Lord; and "Awake at Work: 35 Practical Buddhist Principles for Discovering Clarity and Balance in the Midst of Work's Chaos," by Michael Carroll.

(Continued on page 2)

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