Jails: We can't afford cuts
The Board of Corrections says Maine's 15 county jails can't afford to obey the order by Gov. Paul LePage's administration to trim $335,000 from their budgets.
Mark Westrum, a panel member on the Board of Corrections and head of Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset, says cuts are difficult as costs rise. "The price of oil is up. Commodities are up. Food service is up. Medical is skyrocketing," Westrum told MPBN. Jails are in need of building repairs and also need money to offer substance abuse, mental health and adult education program for inmates to reduce recidivism rates, according to MPBN.
A recently appointed task force has been charged with finding at least $25 million in savings for the $6.1 billion budget passed in June. In addition, Finance Commissioner Sawin Millett, the task force's chairman, has asked state departments to shave specific dollar amounts as part of $100 million in cuts LePage wants to offset potential losses related to Congress' debt deal, MPBN reports.
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