IF WE WANT TO REDUCE JAIL POPULATIONS, WE MUST BE SMART ABOUT CRIME,
NOT JUST TOUGH ON IT

The State of Maine has one of the lowest violent crime rates in the
nation. We have a low property crime rate and the lowest
incarceration rate in the country. There are approximately 49 other
states that would trade their criminal justice problems for
ours. Yet most of our county jails and state correctional facilities
are overcrowded. Maine citizens are not eager to pay for new
correctional facilities, especially near where they live. Still, the
surge of crack cocaine and heroin continues along with increasing
violence and property crime associated with drug trafficking and
addiction. The arrival of methamphetamine poses greater challenges,
and promises greater pressure on our jails and prisons.

Maine has made several efforts to address these problems. In 2004,
the Sentencing Commission concluded that we were sending too many
people to jail and placing too many criminals on probation. On their
recommendation, laws were enacted which served to reduce
incarceration and probation for most crimes. Additional sentencing
alternatives were put in place, some of which have proven useful.

I fought many of these "reforms."

I argued that abandoning truth-in-sentencing would only increase the
public's distrust of the criminal justice system. The elimination of
probation for most misdemeanor crimes, including drug offenses,
deprives many in our criminal justice system of the supervision and
help they need to avoid becoming felony offenders.

I argued that more emphasis should be placed on preventing young
offenders from becoming career criminals through early intervention
and mentoring programs. That without an effort to steer today's young
people away from a life of crime, the solutions of the sentencing
commission would be fleeting, and that within a few years we would
again be faced with serious crowding pressures in our jails and prisons.

The Attorney General and I made a number of recommendations to
address these issues, with the hope of lessening the supply of future
criminals for our prison system. But after approximately 45 minutes
of discussion, the Sentencing Commission tabled our ideas, concluding
that Maine could not afford them.

We argued that Maine could not afford to ignore these concerns.

Today, the focus is on the management of prisoners in our system
before they go to trial. The goal of the present Correction
Alternatives Advisory Commission is to reduce the pre-trial
population of our jails.

In Kennebec County, we are already accomplishing this. The county has
the highest percentage of inmates serving their sentences and the
lowest percentage awaiting trial. According to a study done on
Maine's county jails, Kennebec County is a model for Maine's other
counties to follow.

All of our efforts are predicated upon our belief that a minor
investment in the life of a young person today will pay huge
dividends for the individual and our community in the future. We are
in the business of changing lives and diverting young first offenders
from the criminal justice treadmill.

My office, the county sheriff, the courts and community partners have
worked together to foster multi-pronged approaches to crime. We have
programs targeted at young people who have committed their first
offenses. My office has partnered with the Waterville Boys and Girls
Club to give young offenders an alternative to a life of crime.
Several law enforcement agencies, along with the probation department
and the juvenile court, have worked with us to make this "Rebound to
Success" program a success.

The sheriff is to be commended for his public works programs for
inmates, which save many towns and cities tax dollars. We are a full
partner with Justice Nancy Mills in the operation of the Co-Occurring
Disorders Court for mentally ill offenders. The district attorney,
sheriff and the Pine Tree Camp work together and provide alternative
sentencing programs for young first offense non-violent offenders.
Pre-Trial Services now provides close supervision and services for
approximately 30 people who would otherwise be in jail awaiting trial.

Additionally, our county is united in urging the Legislature to pass
a bill capping county jail sentences at six months. This will lessen
crowding at our jail and stop young low-risk first offense inmates
from doing their time with serious, established criminals.

We have no choice but to make these efforts. It is the right thing to
do for the offender, and for the community. Being tough on crime is
important for any sheriff or district attorney. The crowding at our
jail and the numbers we send to state correctional facilities attest
to that. In Kennebec county we are also making every effort to be
smart on crime as well, with the hope of reducing the supply of
tomorrow's criminals.