LePage stalled in closing Down East prison under legal agreement
AUGUSTA, Maine — The state’s dismantling of the Downeast Correctional Facility in Machiasport must halt while the Legislature decides whether to fund the prison for another year and a lawsuit to prevent its closure moves forward, a Superior Court judge said Wednesday.
Most states disenfranchise felons. Maine and Vermont allow inmates to vote from prison.
Advocates say the rehabilitative effects of letting inmates have a voice is profound.
Maine Voices: Gov. LePage coldly wreaks havoc on the lives of prison workers in a poor county
The loss of scarce jobs and work-release inmates from the sudden closing is a big deal for Machiasport and the surrounding community.