The Maine Department of Corrections (DOC) ordered the Piscataquis County Jail to stop taking on new inmates as of Tuesday, after the jail failed to meet 11 mandatory standards during its bi-annual inspection in July.
The DOC was reportedly unable to review nine other mandatory standards due to a lack of documentation, and the jail failed to meet one essential standard.
“The Commissioner has determined that the scope and nature of the failures are substantial enough to constitute a danger to the health and safety of staff, inmates, and/or visitors and is taking immediate action to restrict the operations of the facility,” said the DOC.
“These failures include discrepancies in medical records, improper medication and sharps management, and not following infectious disease protocols,” the department added.
As a result of the failure, the jail must stop taking on new inmates, and must return inmates boarded there to their original facilities. The jail in Dover-Foxcroft reportedly has a 36 inmate capacity, with 30 current prisoners, 12 of whom are boarded inmates who will be transferred out.
The jail administrator and Piscataquis County Sheriff Robert Young must submit a plan to correct the errors, and bring the jail into compliance with 100 percent of mandatory standards and at least 90 percent of essential standards by Friday afternoon, the DOC ordered.
If the corrective plan is deemed unacceptable, the jail could be entirely shut down.
