Dexter Town Council Resolution

RESOLUTION B2009-1 JANUARY 8, 2009

WHEREAS, the Governor has proposed in his latest budget message that the Charleston Correctional Facility have its operations be reduced in the next biennium, specifically that the facility be reduced to no more than 90 inmates, and that all other inmates be transferred to jails without access to work programs; and

WHEREAS, this reduction of the Charleston Correctional Facility will have the effect of curtailing the work release programs presently being run at the facility; and

WHEREAS, upwards of 40,000 hours of service to non-profit organizations and municipalities were provided to our area in 2008 by the work programs of Charleston Correctional Facility, and these services provided benefits to our communities in the form of saving property tax costs, construction of facilities for area non-profit organizations and training and rehabilitation to inmates that are and have been valuable in ways that would offset any perceived savings at this site;

THEREFORE the Dexter Town Council hereby opposes the specific budget cuts being proposed for the Charleston Correctional Facility, and asks the representatives of Dexter residents in the State legislature to oppose these cuts, and asks the Governor to reconsider his proposal.


Roger S. Brawn
Erlfred W. Sherburne
Judy Wilbur Craig, Councilor
David Clukey, Councilor
Sherman G. Leighton, Councilor
Anton Larson, Councilor
Dean R. Thompson, Councilor

Charleston Correctional Facility

Fellow Councilors, DRDC, friends and bloggers:
Tom Sands of Charleston Correctional called me Tuesday to ask that we and anyone we can get to help to call or email the Criminal Justice Committee who will have a say on the Supplemental Budget hearing going on today and tomorrow.
I have emailed all the people on the Justice Committee with the email below, as well as others who might listen.
Please, if you feel that the closing is bad, please contact anyone you might know who can help.
thanks.... Judy
For more information check out Diana Bowley's BDN story
--- the email I sent out is below---

Dear ________,

RE: Charleston Correctional Facility

The Town of Dexter is very unhappy that a housing unit in the Charleston Correctional Facility will be closed if this Supplemental Budget is passed as presented.

Dexter has utilized the CCF crews for both municipal projects as well as non-profit organizations, which save our town thousands of dollars over the past few years.

I have seen the CCF crews at work (when they were working at the Police Station this summer) and they do a great job and are very courteous. It would be a pity that these men would no longer be getting job experience while being incarcerated.

With the closing of this unit, many of Dexter's residents who work at CCF will loose their jobs.

Please take this “Corrections” portion of the Proposed Supplemental Budget to Balance the Current Fiscal Year, and place in the Biennium Budget.

To pass as presented seems very ‘short sighted’ in the scheme things. Long term, it would appear that the State of Maine will be no further ahead financially, but the rural citizens and inmates will be the losers.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter! It is very important to the Town of Dexter as well as the surrounding communities.

Judy Wilbur Craig
Dexter Town Councilor
President of Dexter Regional Development Corporation
207.924.3067