PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A Maine jail is dealing with a corrections officer shortage that has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Cumberland County jail in Portland was on lockdown Monday because of the shortage. The jail is budgeted for 128 corrections officers and has 67 vacancies, WMTW-TV reported.
The shortage has been made worse by 13 corrections officers recently testing positive for COVID-19, WMTW-TV reported. The jail has been restricting inmates to their cells for more than 23 hours a day because of the shortage, the station reported.
Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce said the jail has increased starting pay to attract new hires. The jail is also attempting to attract applicants with a roadside advertising campaign.
Joyce said the vaccination rate for staff and inmates at the jail is about 50%. People arrested in the county are currently being diverted to jails in other counties to deal with the staffing shortage.
