AUGUSTA (NEWS CENTER Maine) - Members of the Maine Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee have a lot of questions about the sudden closure of the Downeast Correctional Facility and issues at the Longcreek center for juvenile offenders.
They set aside four hours Wednesday to get some answers from Commissioner of Corrections Joseph Fitzpatrick. But Fitzpatrick was a no-show after being told by Governor LePage not to attend.
“These childish games, I have no patience for,” said Rep. Charlotte Warren, (D) Committee Chair.
The failure of Commissioner Fitzpatrick to appear before the committee has left members angry and frustrated.
“Maine people have a right to know. What is our plan around the Downeast Correctional Facility and why was it closed in the middle of the night?” Warren said.
The sudden shutdown and transfer of prisoners there left 55 people without jobs. At the Longcreek center for juveniles, a review found the facility is chronically understaffed and ill-equipped to handle the serious mental health needs of young offenders. Committee members want to know what the commissioner is doing to address that.
“And we do have a lot of questions,” said Sen. Kimberly Rosen, (R) Committee Chair.
The issue doesn't seem to be partisan; Kimberly Rosen is the Republican Senate Chair of the committee.
“It’s very frustrating. In my 12 to 14 years here we were always able to get information anytime we wanted it. So this is a little upsetting," Rosen said.
Without answers, committee members say they can’t do their jobs. They say Fitzpatrick wanted to appear here, but the governor told him not to. LePage’s spokesperson says the governor sets priorities for his commissioners and appearing before the committee is apparently not one of them.
“The governor decided it was better for the commissioner to work on things going on in the Department of Corrections today. They had a prisoner pass away last night and the usual activity that he’s responsible for”, said Julie Rabinowitz, Press Secretary for Governor LePage.
Committee members say they have no legal standing to compel the commissioner to appear before them. Instead, they say they’ve been instructed to submit questions to the Governor’s office, which then will be passed on to the commissioner. Members say that’s not a very efficient way to conduct business.
The governor’s senior policy advisor did appear before the committee, but only to speak about a specific proposal to locate a pre-release center in Washington County.