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Sheriff proposes county-run pretrial services; commissioners give concurrence to negotiate transition
Summary
Sheriff Morton outlined a plan to move pretrial services from Maine Pretrial to a county-run program with electronic monitoring, estimating roughly $272,000 annually; commissioners agreed to continued negotiations and requested a transition plan and timeline.
Sheriff Morton asked commissioners on June 3 to consider moving pretrial supervision from the nonprofit Maine Pretrial to a county-run program that would use electronic monitoring and allow the county to collect modest participant fees to offset costs.
Morton said Maine Pretrial currently supervises about 100 people daily but “has had staffing issues” and cannot do site visits or electronic monitoring. He said a county-run program could include three case managers, a supervisor and overhead and that his office estimated the cost at “approximately $272,000” per year. He also said Maine Pretrial “will not collect any revenue for individuals” and that other counties charge modest fees that offset costs.
Morton asked commissioners to allow further negotiations with Maine Pretrial and to permit county staff to develop a transition plan; he suggested a trial or phased approach (three to 12 months) and said county staff had talked with the district attorney’s and public defender’s offices and received conditional support. “My ask to you is please know that this is the direction that I think is healthy for the county, fiscally…that you allow us to come back…with a more final ask,” Morton said.
Commission discussion focused on startup timing and funding. County Administrator Scott and the HR director said staffing and funding appear feasible and that a six-month trial could be possible. The commission did not take a formal vote; the chair noted “we have the concurrence of the commission to proceed with the negotiations.” Morton said he would return with a recommended timeframe and a formal proposal.
Why it matters: Moving pretrial supervision in-house would be a policy change with fiscal implications — the sheriff’s estimate of roughly $272,000 a year is higher than current contracted costs but, he said, could be partly offset by participant fees and by program design that permits graduated supervision and electronic monitoring.
Next steps: Sheriff Morton will continue negotiations with Maine Pretrial, develop a transition plan and return to the commission with a timeline and a formal recommendation (staffing, budget, and proposed participant fees).
