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Penobscot County sheriff outlines plan for local pretrial services, cites technology and victim-notification gaps
Summary
Sheriff Jeff Knapp told commissioners on July 23 that Penobscot County will separate from a statewide pretrial contractor and build a county-run pretrial services unit, with job postings, electronic monitoring and a victim-notification pilot needing roughly $12,000 to expand countywide.
Sheriff Jeff Knapp told the Penobscot County Commission on July 23 that the county is moving to establish its own pretrial services program, separate from Maine Pretrial, and has posted job descriptions and preliminary pay scales for a coordinator, supervisor and specialists.
Knapp said the county has been meeting with defense counsel, the public defender's office and the district attorney's staff to define local expectations and a scope of work and that he will meet with judges to ask what the court expects from a local pretrial program. "If we stopped main pretrial today or pretrial services completely, would those 100 people come back into jail immediately? The answer was no," Knapp said, describing the county's view that pretrial services support people on bail rather than replace judicial authority.
Knapp described several changes the county is considering: hiring its own staff, using electronic monitoring and modern compliance platforms to reduce missed contacts, and partnering where useful with existing programs such as PACE. He said technology vendors demonstrated platforms that "are not big money stuff" and could increase accountability while lowering the need for in-person checks.
Knapp also raised a separate but linked issue: expanding electronic victim/witness notification (VINE) functions. He said Penobscot County is participating in a four-county pilot and that linking VINE registration to the county's inmate-search mobile app would allow victims, witnesses and concerned family members to receive immediate release notifications. Knapp said a county-level pilot costs about $12,000 and that state funding did not cover the county's request: "Folks, this is $12,000 to prompt our economy." He said he has solicited private donations and that county staff will continue to seek funding.
The sheriff asked the commission to proceed with hiring steps so the county can begin operations quickly; he said stakeholders had agreed to a shortened transition window of roughly two months to have staff in place and begin service elements, and he described a need for short-term space and operational capacity.
Discussion: commissioners and staff asked about timeline, staffing certification, vendor integration, and how the program would interact with the courts and existing statewide services. Knapp said screening tools and many program policies will be similar to Maine Pretrial's but that the county will emphasize compliance and local accountability. He said the county will work with the DA's office, defense counsel and judges to refine the program.
Direction: commissioners did not take a formal vote to adopt a standalone pretrial program on July 23. The sheriff was authorized to continue hiring preparations and stakeholder meetings as described and to return with updates and contract language as required.
Ending: Knapp said he is encouraged by the collaboration with defense counsel, the DA and the courts and will return with hiring updates and more detailed cost and implementation plans.
