Hampden chosen as potential site for new Penobscot County Jail

By Marie Weidmayer, Bangor Daily News Staff

Penobscot County has chosen a property in Hampden as the potential site for a new jail, according to a source with knowledge of the decision.

The Penobscot County Commissioners signed an option agreement for a property at the Ammo Industrial Park in Hampden with the intent to build a new correctional facility at the site, according to the source. An option agreement means the county has exclusive rights to purchase the property for a specific period of time.

The source spoke to the Bangor Daily News on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly about the decision.

The site is just outside of Bangor city limits and is located south of I-95.

This is the first major public step forward toward building a new Penobscot County Jail since late 2023, when Penobscot County Commissioners said they were looking at properties. Voters will have to decide if they support moving the jail outside of Bangor and if they will issue bonds to cover the cost of building the facility.

That vote will likely happen in June 2026, the source said.

It is unclear how much a new jail would cost. No building plans for a new correctional facility have been publicly shared.

The goal was to have the bond for the new jail on the November ballot; however, it may already be too late for that, County Administrator Scott Adkins said previously. There needs to be time to inform the public about what happens if the bond passes and what happens if it fails, he said.

Adkins did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation that the Hampden site was selected.

The news comes a day after an executive session between commissioners, Sheriff Troy Morton and other county officials, in which they discussed the purchase of property. 

County officials say the Penobscot County Jail is in poor condition and that it is not worth making repairs to the building, which was constructed in 1869. Buying a piece of property is the first step toward building the new facility.

As of July 9, commissioners had narrowed the potential new sites to two locations. Commissioners considered multiple sites that fell through because of a demand for housing, Adkins said previously.

The last substantial renovations to the jail at 85 Hammond St. were in 1988, with a $5 million voter-approved bond. The facility is licensed by the Maine Department of Corrections to hold up to 157 inmates.

Public outcry killed a proposed eight-story jail in downtown Bangor in 2020.