Penobscot County needs more treatment, not incarceration

To the Editor;

Say no to a jail expansion of Penobscot County Jail. Bigger is not better! Why are we sending people with coinciding disorders, trauma, addiction and other mental health disorders to jail? We don’t send our grandmother to a pediatric doctor. We don’t send heart patients to a foot doctor! 

I believe expansion leads to less quality. Even if the jail has more room it doesn’t mean better implantation of medication assisted treatment; it still will require appropriate staffing, and treatment as a whole inside and outside of jails.

A bigger jail doesn’t mean better outcomes! Money should be spent on treatment, prevention and integrations, not more incarceration.

Peggy Turner

Lincoln