The State Board of Corrections has been working to define their role and what authority they have. The way board and state officials see that role, it appears more state funds will be needed.

Board of Corrections Chairman Mark Westrum and other county officials have met with Gov. Paul LePage, Attorney General William Schneider and Commissioner of Finance Sawin Millett in a variety of meetings to define the intent, authority and purpose of the Board of Corrections, as defined in state law.

The attorney general was asked to define the authority of the Board of Corrections as it is designated in legislation, and to outline just how much authority it actually has. Assistant Attorney General Andrew Black was assigned to the work with the board.

According to legislation that established the Board of Corrections their purpose and goals are “to develop and implement a unified correctional system that demonstrates sound fiscal management, achieves efficiencies, reduces recidivism and ensures the safety and security of correctional staff, inmates, visitors, volunteers and surrounding communities.”

Their responsibilities and duties are to manage the cost of corrections, determine correctional facility use and purpose, adopt treatment standards and policies, and to receive and review recommendations.

What authority the board has to implement the goals and responsibilities is unclear and needs to be clarified for the board to be effective, Westrum said.

Westrum told jail authority members there will be a joint meeting with the Maine Sheriff’s Association soon to discuss possible changes to the legislation and recommendations from the National Institute of Corrections.

During a Lincoln/Sagadahoc Jail Authority meeting September 12, Westrum reported that the corrections system needs to makes some strategic investments in pretrial, re-entry and other programs to reduce recidivism in order to survive.

At a meeting with Commissioner Millett, it was explained to him there is not enough money to operate the system the way it should be.

The counties have submitted biennial budgets of $81 million for fiscal year 2013, with $2.6 million in capital funding.  

According to Westrum, the Board of Corrections asked the state for $9 million in a supplemental budget for high risk security issues and  two years of debt payments. Between Two Bridges Regional Jail, and York, Somerset, Cumberland and Hancock county jails, there is $100 million in debt payments.

Although according to state law, the state is required to pay down the county jail's debt, the state has not paid anything toward the debt since the legislation was adopted in 2008.

The legislation, passed with the purpose of reducing the cost of state and county correctional services, created the state Board of Corrections to develop and implement a unified state and county correctional system and capped the amount the counties could raise from taxes for corrections.

The total state cap was set at about $62 million per year. The 2012 budget approved by the Board of Corrections is $79,824,289. The difference between what the counties raise from taxes, and what the Board of Corrections approves for jail budgets is paid quarterly from the Investment Fund.

The Investment Fund is supported from the state’s general fund, as well as from counties who don't have their own jails, such as Waldo, Franklin and Oxford counties, who pay their corrections money into the investment fund and in turn their inmates are boarded at one of the state's receiving jails.

Two Bridges is one of four receiving jails; the other three are Somerset, York and Cumberland.