Penobscot DA asks commissioners to review office space as new prosecutors arrive

Penobscot County’s District Attorney told commissioners on April 1 that her office is critically short of contiguous workspace and asked the county to explore reconfiguring space so prosecutors, victim-witness advocates and clerical staff can be co-located.

The DA said turnover among young prosecutors and recent hires has left the office "crammed in" and has hampered mentoring: new attorneys are sometimes physically separated from experienced prosecutors. She described the current layout as fragmented, with clerical staff, victim‑witness advocates and prosecutors scattered across multiple rooms and the judicial center. "They're kind of separated from the other prosecutors because we're all all the offices are taken up," she said.

Why it matters: The DA argued that proximity matters for mentoring and retention of less-experienced prosecutors and for operational efficiency in casework, victim meetings and lockups. She said two new prosecutors are expected to start in the summer and a new full‑time clerical position will begin this year; the office has no readily available contiguous space to seat them beside senior staff.

Discussion and next steps: Commissioners and the administrator suggested a practical review: the DA should meet with the facilities manager and county administrator to inventory current space, estimate the number of offices needed and examine options such as opening adjoining offices into a larger room or moving commissioners to another floor. The administrator suggested the facilities manager could present cost and layout options and report back to the commission. No formal budget or purchase decision was made; the parties agreed to a follow‑up review and report.

Ending: The DA emphasized that co‑locating staff would improve supervision and retention and asked the county to prioritize a facilities review before the next budget cycle.