Mar. 19—A series of bills proposed by the Maine Department of Corrections that could increase fees for people held in state prisons has prompted lawmakers to ask for a clearer look at the economy inside the prison system as more people are doing remote work while behind bars.
Maine’s prisons already impose fees for health care treatment, room and board for those participating in work release programs, and could soon see a price tag on prison-issued laptops.
The Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee last week signaled support of two of the department’s requests to codify such fees in state law, but some lawmakers first want to create a working group to study what impacts these charges have on inmates.
“They have to live within an economy that we create,” Sen. Chip Curry, D-Waldo, said during a work session last week.
That economy is increasingly growing. With as many as 350 people working while in state custody throughout the year, Maine collected more than $670,000 in room and board fees last year, according to data from the Department of Corrections. That’s more than twice what the state collected in 2020, though those numbers may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
And a handful of those jobs are remote work, done on prison-issued computers, making between $40,000 to more than $90,000 per year, a DOC spokesperson said.
Advocates have told lawmakers that there are already too many fees, especially for those who face bills for court fines, restitution and child support, and that inmates are already paying the price of their crimes with incarceration.
But officials at the department say these fees lead to a “sense of normalization,” because outside of prison, people who have full-time jobs are responsible for living expenses.
TECHNOLOGY & HEALTH CARE
Lawmakers on the criminal justice committee unanimously voted last week in favor of one bill that would impose a maximum $35 monthly fee for the laptops, but were split on whether to support costs for room and board. And though they were also divided on a proposal, LD 18, to increase health care fees; the majority of the committee amended the bill to include the creation of a working group, which would study all of the prisons’ fees.
The Department of Corrections asked the Legislature to raise the existing health care fees from $5 to $25. (People who have less than $15 in their accounts are exempt from payment.)
Associate Commissioner Scott Landry told the committee that this extra income would help pay for a “helping hands” program where six to 10 people help other inmates with assisted living-type care. These increased fees could be used to pay them more (they currently make about $100 per month), or increase the number of jobs, Landry said.
Five lawmakers on the committee voted in favor of increasing the fee to $15, and allowing inmates with $30 or less to be exempt. But eight lawmakers supported keeping the fee at $5 and simply giving the department explicit permission to use those funds for the prison worker program. The divided report now moves to the full Legislature for consideration.
The majority also recommended the department create a group to provide input on whether fees like this are burdensome. Curry said the group should be made up of prison residents, people involved in the state victims’ compensation program and prisoner advocacy organizations. They will also study the possible impact of a proposed monthly fee to cover the costs of prison-issued laptops.
Landry said the department’s funding source for its educational technology, the COVID-19 relief fund, has run out. And the proposed bill, LD 45, would help fill that funding gap. He suggested the department charge inmates depending on their income level, but not more than would actually exceed a “normal” fee for an internet service.
Lawmakers in the committee voted unanimously in favor of the bill, with the stipulation that the department not charge more than $35 per month or more than 7% of an inmate’s monthly income. They also agreed that if someone is making less than $100 per month, they would not be charged.
WORKING FROM PRISON
Right now, 166 people in Maine’s prison system are participating in work release programs, according to Sam Prawer, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Corrections. Of those, 12 have remote jobs. Throughout the year, the department can have more than 350 people in these programs, many of which are seasonal and agriculture-based.
But the state can deduct up to 20% of their income — 10% for room and board, which is sent to the state’s general fund, not the Department of Corrections, and up to 10% to cover transportation provided by the department. Since 2020, the state fund has collected a total of $2.4 million.
Residents are already paying these fees, but a third bill proposed by the department would solidify this policy in Maine law.
A majority of lawmakers on the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee supported the bill, LD 626, with the caveat that the department can’t set those fees higher than 10% each. But two who voted in opposition say the department shouldn’t be allowed to charge for room and board at all.
Most people in work release programs earn between $14.75 to $25 per hour. These jobs, which take place outside of the prison walls, include restaurants, boat building, construction companies and car dealerships, Prawer said. People who have professional credentials or licenses can earn up to $46.50 per hour.
The two dozen residents working remotely on their prison-issued laptops either have a full-time job, a fellowship or are employed as a student (including at the University of Maine at Augusta).
Prawer said those full-time remote workers earn salaries between $40,000 to more than $90,000 per year. They work for companies like Unlocked Labs (a tech company that teaches coding) and the Center for Effective Public Policy. The highest-earning resident makes $96,000 a year, department officials told lawmakers during last week’s work session.
Rep. Grayson Lookner, D-Portland, said the state shouldn’t be charging these fees because inmates are already paying these fees “with their freedom” by being incarcerated. He and Rep. Nina Milliken, D-Blue Hill, recommended that the department strike its room and board policy altogether.
But Rep. Chad Perkins, R-Dover-Foxcroft, said he supports the bill because it would require people in prison to pay for their own well-being and give back to taxpayers.
“We would expect anybody else to have to buy-in in their own lives,” he said during the work session.
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