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In the dead of night when workers showed up to their shifts at Downeast Correctional Facility, they were told they no longer had jobs or a way to feed their families. Despite clear and repeated bipartisan support for the facility from the legislature and months of work to do the right thing, not only for Washington County, but for our prison system as a whole, Governor LePage chose to unilaterally ignore the wishes of Maine’s elected representatives and close the facility four months ahead of schedule.

While we do not yet know how far the economic and community impacts of this action will spread, we do know that a layoff of this magnitude is similar to a loss of 600 jobs in Cumberland County, and that it will cause harm to our communities for years to come. This surprise move is irresponsible and is sure to pose a threat to our public safety as a result of the chronic bed shortage, statewide. We will do everything in our power to reverse this decision.