BANGOR, Maine (AP) — The Penobscot County Jail is dealing with a staffing shortage at the same time it’s dealing with persistent overcrowding.
The jail is functioning without 25% of its staff due to vacancies and medical leaves, Sheriff Troy Morton told t he Bangor Daily News. On Tuesday, there were 199 people in the jail that’s licensed to hold 157, with 59 sent to other facilities in the state, he said.
Morton said overcrowding and the prevalence of substance use disorders and mental health diagnoses have made the job more stressful.
“Over the Labor Day weekend, we had more than 25 arrestees brought into the jail and two inmates hospitalized,” the sheriff said. “That further strained staff and resources.”
Jails throughout Maine and the state prison system have struggled for at least a decade to hire and retain corrections officers.
The number of corrections officers in Maine county jails fell to 725 in 2020 from 825 in 2015, according to annual reports from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.
