By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — The Aroostook County Jail has a new leader following the retirement of James Foss as jail administrator.
Foss came to Aroostook County in May of 1991 to become the jail administrator and for 22 years made sure the facility was kept in tip-top condition. That arduous task now falls on the shoulders of Craig Clossey, who took over as the new jail administrator on Aug. 1.
According to Foss, the jail administrator position is responsible for all aspects of the jail operations.
“Basically, you are responsible for everything that goes on inside this place,” he said. “It’s really a 24-7 (24 hours a day/7 days a week) kind of thing. Tomorrow (Thursday, Aug. 1) will be the first time since 1986 that I have not been on a pager or beeper or cell phone. I always made myself available, even when away on vacation.”
Since 1890, the Aroostook County Jail has housed inmates who are either awaiting trials or sentencing or were involved in minor incidents. But what happens when the number of inmates exceeds capacity on a regular basis?
That has been a question that county jail officials have struggled with for longer than they can remember.
Back in 1991 when Foss came on board, the Aroostook County Jail was rated for 66 prisoners. Today, it is rated for 72 inmates, but regularly has more than that due to the sheer volume of inmates either awaiting trial or sentencing or those who are arrested and unable to post bail.
During its biennium inspection conducted on March 12-13, the jail was cited for several violations, most of which stem from overcrowding at the Houlton facility. In the report provided to The Houlton Pioneer Times, the Aroostook County Jail was cited for exceeding its “established rated capacity” on 75.1 percent of the days during the last six months. In some cases, the in-house population has been more than 100 inmates.
“We average between 1,500 to 2,000 people per year that come through our doors,” Foss said, “When you compare that to a Cumberland, it’s not a lot, but it is for us.”
He said the length of time inmates are incarcerated locally has also been on the rise, as it takes longer for individuals to get court dates.
To try and correct that matter of overcrowding, jail officials plan to do a more stringent effort to transfer any overflow they may have to other facilities around the state.
“The day shift supervisor will utilize a call list to contact other facilities prior to the end of their shift to board out inmates when the in-house population exceeds 72,” the report stated. “Every effort will be made to utilize other jails to house inmates in excess of our budgeted capacity.”
For the most part, inmates are either waiting to be sentenced or are pre-trial, Foss said. In years past, about 75-80 percent of the population were sentenced and doing their time, while 25 percent were waiting to go to court.
Today, those numbers have flipped as about 20-25 percent of the total population is serving their time after being sentenced, while the rest are waiting a court appearance.
“Sometimes, that makes them a little more difficult to deal with,” Foss said. “A sentenced person knows how much time they have left to serve, while a pre-trial person does not.”
Another major change in the jail in recent years is the number of women entering not just the Houlton jail, but statewide, Foss said.
“We never used to see a lot of women,” he said. “It’s mostly drug related.”
The inspection team observed staff and inmates sharing respectful/professional interactions. When staff was interviewed, they were professional and answered questions in an honest, forthright manner.
The facilities cleanliness was classified as “marginally acceptable” as the jail had some areas and housing units that were “noticeably clean and well maintained,” while other housing areas were “observed to have scaled paint, broken tiles on the floors, holes in the ceiling and wall of one cell.”
“Everyone (incarcerated) seems to have multiple issues,” Foss said. “People have substance abuse, mental health or medical issues and we are seeing a lot more of that today than we used to. In the last 10-15 years, the people are lot more destructive. That’s happening at all of the jails.”
Foss said Clossey would have his work cut out for him as the next jail administrator, mainly because the limited budget is the single biggest issue facing the facility.
“Ever since they created the Board of Corrections, none of the counties have had sufficient funds to operate the way they should be,” Foss said. “Here in Aroostook County, we have always operated efficiently. We always would end the year in the black, but not by much. We never had any fat in the budget, so when the Board of Corrections tell you to cut more, you really can’t.”
The Aroostook County Jail has a staff of 30 full-time employees (28 corrections officers and two cooks) and about 10 part-time employees.
Foss said one area that many people do not realize is that once a person enters the jail system; their personal health insurance ceases to provide coverage. Therefore, the cost of providing health care falls to the jail, and indirectly, to the taxpayers.
He said they once had to take an inmate to Presque Isle three times a week for kidney dialysis, with two staff members.
“A lot of people think that if they have health insurance, it will continue to pick up the cost, but they don’t,” he said. “As soon as companies find out they are incarcerated, they cut them off. That’s because they know (Maine) state statute says the county jails must provide ‘reasonable medical care.’”
The inspection team also observed that inmates spent most of their time sleeping or laying on their beds. The expectation was that inmates would be actively involved in daily cleaning routine and/or programs (i.e. school, recreation, group programming, etc.) as opposed to unproductive leisure time, which was observed.
Inmates described staff relations as positive, food and meals were described as “good or outstanding” while medical services were presented as “limited but no major complaints.”
The inspection team also noted that when they asked about major muscle exercise; inmates explained that there is no workout equipment just the “rubber bands” and they were “looking forward to warmer weather to get outside.”
Jail officials stated that in the past, when they had workout equipment, inmates would regularly take the equipment apart. The pieces could be used as weapons or to cause further damage to other parts of the jail.
The most common complaint registered pertained to the “length of time incarcerated awaiting their court hearing and not being able to meet with their attorney as they are over an hour away and won’t drive down to the jail,” while others stated they “watch time go by.”
Jail tour
Taking a tour of the Aroostook County Jail sheds some light on the life of an inmate. Every prisoner enters the facility in a police vehicle via the “sally port,” which is a secure, controlled entryway into the jail or courthouse.
Individuals are then brought to the booking department where one of three officers processes their paperwork.
“We average about four-five intakes (new prisoners) per day,” Clossey said. “And then we also have about four individuals leaving, so it gets pretty busy here.”
Locking and unlocking of every door is done via a computer terminal screen in the master control room and is done through radio transmissions from the officer. If several doors are opened at the same time, an alarm goes off to alert officers.
Inmates are allowed to make phone calls whenever they choose, but each person they phone is a toll call, Clossey said.
“It has to be set up by someone on the outside,” he explained. “A person can pay for say $50 in calling for inmate so-and-so. That inmate can then call whomever they want once they log in with their account.”
Mornings are the quietest time for jail officials as most of the population is awake later in the evenings and sleeps in.
All of the phone calls, except those when an inmate is speaking with their attorney, are recorded.
“You would not believe the criminal stuff we get from phone calls,” he said.
Cells no longer have iron bars. Instead, a metal door with a window keeps inmates in their cells during lockdowns. However, many inmates are able to spend their time in an open, common area, complete with a table and flat screen television. Some inmates are housed in “dorms” with several bunk beds.
Inmates can purchase items such as potato chips and candy bars from the jail commissary. Those inmates who are in “pre-booking” or if housing is not available go to a segregated area, Clossey explained.
“They could be someone who is intoxicated or we are simply full and can’t put them in the general population,” he said. “They have their own water and bathroom.”
There is no air conditioning in the jail, except for those rooms that have computer equipment needing to be in a cool environment. During the summer, inmates are kept outside as much as possible for fresh air.
Jail History
Construction on the Aroostook County Jail began in 1889 at its current location by builders John A. Greenleaf and Van Dorn Iron Works. W.E. Mansur was the original architect for the facility. Work was completed in February, 1890.
“When they started, they had just 16 cells,” said Sgt. Carmen Leavitt, who is also one of the historians of the jail.
In the Feb. 20, 1890 issue of the Houlton Times, it stated “no cell can be opened without first opening a combination lock safe, in which are the locked lever bars for operating one or all of the cells; and the system of locking is such that it will keep a mob out as well as prisoners in.”
Several renovation and expansion projects have been undertaken. In 1931, the jail’s capacity was doubled with an expansion. About 20 years ago, the jail underwent another renovation, with many cells re-done to make them more modern.
In 1953, the east wing was added to the facility and in 1988-89 the west wing was added and the entire facility was renovated. At one time, the sheriff and his family lived at the County Jail.
Leavitt said he only knows of two incidents when inmates escaped.
“When the jail was being renovated in 1931, there were two guys who managed to escape during the night,” Leavitt said. “The other was in the 1970s.”
The jail and courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Jan. 26, 1990.
