Piscataquis County Jail inspection report details failures that led to threat of closure
By Marie Weidmayer, Bangor Daily News Staff
DOVER-FOXCROFT — A prescription for one inmate was used to provide medication to three people and inaccurate counts of medications that are controlled substances are among the errors at the Piscataquis County Jail, according to its recent failed inspection.
A state inspection at the facility in late July revealed that the jail was non-compliant with 11 mandatory standards and one essential standard, and was unable to provide documentation for dozens of others, an inspection report, which the Bangor Daily News obtained Aug. 6, from the Maine Department of Corrections shows.
The Piscataquis County Jail must stop taking inmates after it failed the inspection, the department said Tuesday. The Dover-Foxcroft facility, which had 37 inmates on Aug. 5, must also transfer any people being boarded at the facility back to counties they came from.
The inspection report provides the first details of the failures inside of the jail and how they could potentially harm people detained in the facility. It also outlines what changes must be made at the jail for it to continue operations.
This is the first time the Department of Corrections has threatened to close a Maine correctional facility due to a failed inspection, according to records and the recollection of Deputy Commissioner Anthony Cantillo.
The jail failed to keep up with state standards because it was focused on passing a federal audit in March to comply with the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, Piscataquis County Sheriff Bob Young said. The state’s inspection was July 21-22.
Young said he instructed Jail Administrator Jean Larson to focus on passing that federal audit because it’s “a bear to tackle, especially for a small jail with employees who wear multiple hats.” Compliance with state standards “was not kept up with” during that time, Young said.
“We are continuing to correct the problem areas, and I am confident we will meet DOC standards in a relatively short time,” Young said. “In the interim, our inmates are safe, well provided for, and our corrections officers are faithfully carrying out their daily duties.”
A total of 61 “essential folders” for the jail were incomplete and were excluded from the review because they were not in compliance with mandatory standards, the inspection report said. There were also nine “mandatory” folders unavailable. Among the missing folders are documents related to dental care and naloxone availability in the jail.
A corrective action plan must be sent to the Department of Corrections no later than 3 p.m. Friday, Aug 6. The folders will be reviewed during a follow-up visit after the plan is submitted, the report said.
If Young and Larson fail to follow the steps outlined by the department, Commissioner Randall Liberty will revoke the facility’s operating license and transfer inmates.
Other issues raised in the inspection report include a delayed medical response during an outbreak of an unspecified gastrointestinal illness and a failure to quarantine people. When sharps are brought into the facility from the community, there is no count or log of them, according to the inspection report.
Medical records were incomplete and missing medical notes, substance use notes and behavioral notes, the report said.
There is also no policy for care of a pregnant inmate, the report said.
Despite the errors and unavailable documents, men and women in the jail had no complaints to report “regarding the quality of care received for medical or behavioral health needs,” the report said.