Cost of Incarceration in Maine

The Maine Department of Corrections wanted to examine high costs of incarceration relative to other states. The report looked at management alternatives for the prison population, including new construction and correctional alternatives. Statistical comparison with 11 other of the least populated U. S. states indicated that Maines level of incarceration was not higher, but its average daily prison population per facility was lower than seven out of the 11 states examined. In addition to modernizing and consolidating facilities, budgeting practices for 24-hour security staff and increased use of alternatives to incarceration for minimum security and substance abusing offenders in the population were recommended.