Maine State Prison offers education to inmates in the name of public safety

WARREN, Maine (WMTW) – Ask Maine Division of Corrections Commissioner Randy Liberty why he provides inmates convicted of violent crimes and serving the longest sentences free highschool and faculty training, and he’ll clarify his philosophy of rehabilitation to scale back crime.

“I consider our job is to redeem and to reform and to launch them higher than after they arrived,” Liberty mentioned in a current interview throughout WMTW’s go to contained in the jail.

Schooling – highschool and faculty courses –are a part of the programming provided to the inmates Liberty calls “residents.”

On the maximum-security facility in Warren, 685 males are at the moment incarcerated; 40 of them had been enrolled this winter and spring in faculty courses taught primarily by College of Maine school for credit towards undergraduate levels, and for a couple of, graduate levels.

“We acknowledge persons are right here for psychological well being points, substance abuse dysfunction, trauma, neglect, poverty — these are actually the the explanation why persons are right here and actually cause them to the selections they make typically,” Liberty mentioned. “So, the query for all of us actually, ‘Are they higher when they’re launched than after they arrived?’ And we discover that, actually, it’s not our job to punish, however our job is to assist them determine what introduced them right here and assist them get to work programming, educating, and doing that kind of factor, permitting them some redemption.”

Kate Getz, a former special-ed trainer in Portland public colleges, has overseen the jail faculty program for the previous three years.

Getz mentioned, “I’ve seen them develop rather a lot, even after they begin their very firstclass till they graduate. There’s a lot progress simply academically and personally.”

Identical to college students outdoors jail. Dozens of inmates are on a ready listing to enroll.

Getz mentioned, “These college students will get out, they usually should rejoin society, and I don’t need them to be set as much as fail.”

Chris Laliberde, who studied for one 12 months at UMaine earlier than dropping out, now 26 and serving a 10-year sentence for aggravated assault, mentioned the courses let him have interaction in regular habits whereas incarcerated and put together for all times after jail.

Laliberde mentioned, “There are loads of jobs that may in any other case be closed to us with out that diploma, and we’re already speaking a couple of restriction by being felons.”

When he’s launched, in his early-to-mid-30s, he mentioned, doesn’t need everybody to have a look at him like a legal.

Laliberde mentioned, “Not take a look at us like that however take a look at as individuals who made errors and are keen to do one thing to grow to be higher residents, as a result of finally most of us are getting out sometime, and it’s paramount that we do issues to vary our habits in order that we don’t come again and don’t proceed to be a burden on society.”

The jail faculty program was launched with a $2 million grant from the Sunshine Woman Basis run by Doris Buffett – the older sister of multi-billionaire investor Warren Buffett who had a house in Rockport, Maine, till her loss of life in 2020.

Inmates are additionally eligible for federally funded “second probability” Pell Grants to cowl tuition, or their households can foot the invoice.

Liberty says training is the primary think about stopping inmates who’re launched from committing crimes once more.

Greater than 100 inmates have graduated faculty on his watch, and solely 5% have been arrested once more, in comparison with what he mentioned is a nationwide recidivism charge of 65%.

Liberty mentioned, “That important discount on recidivism means much less victims in the neighborhood and safer communities as soon as they’re launched.”

Liberty mentioned his jail teaching programs don’t increase the prices of incarceration however warned that refusing to supply such applications — going all in on punishment — doesn’t assist society in the long term.

Liberty mentioned, “I’d argue, in case you warehouse residents, that’s the place the actual price is. Being powerful on crime is admittedly being silly on crime. If you happen to incarcerate people and supply programming whereas they’re in, they don’t come again at larger charges.”

The jail provides jobs for all inmates, together with its industries program, using greater than 100 inmates, manufacturing furnishings and different merchandise bought in a retailer.

Maine State Jail Warden Matt Magnusson echoed Liberty’s viewpoint.

“My day could be simpler if we simply warehoused individuals, however on the finish of the day we’re not creating safer communities,” Magnusson mentioned. “We wish to give them the chance, in order that they’re no new victims, in order that they aren’t committing new crimes.”

Laliberde, attending jail courses two hours a day, 4 days every week, maintains a 4.0 grade level common and sees promise in his future.

“A school diploma – it’s not a magical repair, however it’s definitely a instrument within the instrument bag, together with another sources,” Laliberde mentioned, “No one needs anybody to get out jail and have them being menaces once more.”

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