Exiled Mainers, Governor Paul LePage and the Right of Return

Angus King and John Baldacci each approved the exiling of dozens of Mainer inmates to prisons in other states. This banishing - far from contacts with family and community to a distant location - may be done to protect a prisoner from retaliation for cooperating with authority. But in other and perhaps most cases, it is done to punish a prisoner for irritating the staff, or for exercising grievance complaints successfully or for other non-lifesaving measures. 

As dozens of Mainers and their families have found out, it is a cruel, isolating form of punishment, with no right of return to Maine state prison to finish their sentences. Instead he or she is regarded with suspicion as an outsider and because of the expense, rarely visited by family and friends.  I have corresponded with several of these exiles and their tales of  pain and horror visited upon them for being "from Away" are truly awful.  How can we countenance this 'punishment within a punishment'?  

The exiled Mainers listed below need to be offered the Right of Return. Not all will want to return. Not all that want to, should be. But we must not let the incoming LePage administration continue the practice by the Department of Corrections  to punitively imprisoned Mainers and their families by forced exile for non-safety reasons.
 

Here is a list of "Out of Population" i.e. Exiled, Maine State Prison Inmates, UPDATED in part 11/10/2010
("Date Out"= when originally exiled or last moved.
Name / Inmate ID# / Physical Location / Date Out / Custody Level / Projected Release Dates

Baker, Herman (45467)    New Hampshire  05/01/2009     Close    4/29/2033

Haberski, Steven Douglas (202)  New Hampshire 05/01/2009 Close 5/26/2031   2/9/2021   

Moontri Pornchai  Nmn (2987) New Hampshire 05/01/2009  Close  2/10/2022  1/17/2022     

Robinson, Malcolm  (37554) New Hampshire   05/01/2009  Close    12/23/2038  11/11/2038

Smith, Joell  (2347) New Hampshire    05/012009 Close    12/31/9999    

 

Kim, Souen (39549) Massachusetts    05/01/2009 Close    4/3/2015   3/4/2015    

Lavoie  Robert R (2047)  Massachusetts New Hampshire  05/01/2009 4/13/2010. Close 6/9/2014  7/28/2014

Boles, Daniel Joseph (1661) Connecticut 09292008     Close    7/11/2018    4/30/2018   

Thongsavanh,Brandon M. (18214)  Connecticut 05/01/2009    Close    6/20/2062    

Gary, Tyrell Lance (104314) Connecticut 04/15/2009m Minimum 4/15/2009 

Shortsleeves, John F (452) Connecticut 05012009     Close 12/31/9999    
 

Simpson, Jeffrey Edward  (25945) Pennsylvania 05/01/2005     close 2/9/2029      4/9/2029
Fuller, Joel Keith (174)   Pennsylvania 05/01/2009 Close 12/31/9999   

 

Miller Derek Alvin (88077) New Jersey  02/17/2009 Medium 3/27/2012   9/28/2011  
Brown, Deane Rowland  (4059)   New Jersey  11/13/06  Close    4/13/2034    4/10/2034  

Ruiz, Wanda Ivette (99692) New Jersey 02/17/09 Medium  1/31/2012

 

Rankin, William David (3434)    Delaware    06/05/2009 Medium    12/25/2012    12/7/2012   

 

Heath, Carl W. (18882) Maryland 05/01/2009   Close 5/4/2044   1/27/2045 

Linton, Jonathan Carl (1796) Maryland 05/01/2009 Medium 8/24/2010  

    

Belanger, Arthur Daniel, 15118  Florida 09/17/09 Close  10/3/2053

Heath, Smokey Douglas (2336)   Florida  05/01/2009  Close 9/18/2040     8/17/2040

Condon, John Nmn (2425)   Texas 05/01/2009  Close    12/31/9999       

Hanaman, Mary Margaret (48924) Colorado  01/31/2007 Medium 1/15/2038   12/2/2037

Harper, Patricia Gege  (3110) California 08/24/1995 Close 6/11/2019  5/15/2019

 

Harris, Robert Lee (1943) Federal. 05/01/2009   Medium 8/26/2015    1/2/2014

Schoff, Steven Ray (13464) [withheld]   12/20/2006 Close 9/13/2024  7/24/2024

Watland, Gary Douglas (85372) Federal.   01/09/2008 Close    7/7/2064     7/23/2064  

Exiling Mainers is cruel and unusual punishment. Let's end it now!

Join the campaign to give dozens of exiled Mainers the chance to exercise the Right of Return.

Under the  Interstate Compact Law, States may send their inmates to other states' prisons. The Baldacci administration has exiled  two dozen incarcerated Maine citizens. Previous administrations have done the same. Maine taxpayers continue to pay for her transferred prisoners' food, clothing, health and shelter expenses. 

Sending an inmate hundreds or thousands of miles from home cruelly cuts off humanizing linkages to family and community, and exposes the prisoner to suspicion and violence in his or her sudden new prison culture and environment. State Exile is counterproductive. It is not corrective.  

Unfortunately it is very easy for Maine state government to exile an inmate for the duration of his or her sentence. Transfers under the Interstate Compact may be carried out if found to be  "necessary or desirable in order to provide adequate quarters and care or an appropriate program of rehabilitation or treatment".

The Interstate Compact law has no limit as to how long a prisoner may be held in an out of state prison He or she may be required to serve their entire sentence outside of Maine. Even once released, ex-prisoners can be barred from returning Maineward until post-imprisonment probation is completed, which could be years after release.

Returning exiled Maine prison inmates is a fairly straightforward task on paper. The relevant law (full text below) states: 

34-A §9403  D. Delivery and retaking of inmates "Inmates confined in an [out of state] institution pursuant to the terms of this compact shall at all times be subject to the jurisdiction of the sending state and may at any time be removed therefrom for transfer to a prison or other institution within the sending state..."  

Maine would be the "sending state", i.e, it  sends Mainers to other states' prisons

The  list is mostly of those transferred during  Governor Baldacci's terms of office. 

UPDATED 4/26/2010 List of "Out of Population" Maine State Prison Inmates 
All of these have the same "reason" listed: "Transfer-ISC" short for InterState Compact.
("Date Out"= when exiled)).

Boldface = changes

FROM Maine State Prison
Name / Inmate ID# / Physical Location / Date Out / Custody Level / Projected Release Date

Baker, Herman (45467)    New Hampshire  05/01/2009     Close    4/29/2033

Belanger, Arthur Daniel, 15118  Florida 09/17/09 Close  10/3/2053

Haberski, Steven Douglas (202)  New Hampshire 05/01/2009 Close 5/26/2031   2/9/2021   

Moontri Pornchai  Nmn (2987) New Hampshire 05/01/2009  Close  2/10/2022  1/17/2022     

Robinson, Malcolm  (37554) New Hampshire   05/01/2009  Close    12/23/2038  11/11/2038

Smith, Joell  (2347) New Hampshire    05/012009 Close    12/31/9999    

Kim, Souen (39549) Massachusetts    05/01/2009 Close    4/3/2015   3/4/2015    

Lavoie  Robert R (2047)    Massachusetts New Hampshire  05/01/2009 4/13/2010. Close 6/9/2014  7/28/2014

Boles, Daniel Joseph (1661) Connecticut 09292008     Close    7/11/2018    4/30/2018   

Thongsavanh,Brandon M. (18214)  Connecticut 05/01/2009    Close    6/20/2062    

Gary, Tyrell Lance (104314) Connecticut 04/15/2009m Minimum 4/15/2009
MCC  

**************************************** 

Shortsleeves, John F (452) Connecticut 05012009     Close 12/31/9999     

Simpson, Jeffrey Edward  (25945) Pennsylvania 05/01/2005     close 2/9/2029      4/9/2029

Fuller, Joel Keith (174)   Pennsylvania 05/01/2009 Close 12/31/9999   

Miller Derek Alvin (88077) New Jersey  02/17/2009 Medium 3/27/2012   9/28/2011    ???????????

Ruiz, Wanda Ivette (99692) New Jersey 02/17/09 Medium  1/31/2012

Rankin, William David (3434)    Delaware James T. Vaughn Correctional Center   06/05/2009 Medium    12/25/2012    12/7/2012    

Brown, Deane Rowland  (4059)    Maryland    05/01/2009  Close    4/13/2034    4/10/2034   

Heath, Carl W. (18882) Maryland 05/01/2009   Close 5/4/2044   1/27/2045 

Linton, Jonathan Carl (1796) Maryland 05/01/2009 Medium 8/24/2010       

Heath, Smokey Douglas (2336)   Florida  05/01/2009  Close 9/18/2040     8/17/2040

Condon, John Nmn (2425)   Texas 05/01/2009  Close    12/31/9999       

Hanaman, Mary Margaret (48924) Colorado  01/31/2007 Medium 1/15/2038   12/2/2037

Harper, Patricia Gege  (3110) California 08/24/1995 Close 6/11/2019  5/15/2019

Harris, Robert Lee (1943) Federal. 05/01/2009   Medium 8/26/2015    1/2/2014

Schoff, Steven Ray (13464) [withheld]  12/20/2006 Close 9/13/2024  7/24/2024

Watland, Gary Douglas (85372) Federal.    01/09/2008 Close    7/7/2064     7/23/2064 

34-A §9404. Procedures and rights.  Excerpt: "Whenever the duly constituted authorities in a state party to this compact...shall decide that confinement in, or transfer of an inmate to, an institution within the territory of another party state is necessary or desirable in order to provide adequate quarters and care or an appropriate program of rehabilitation or treatment, the officials may direct that the confinement be within an institution within the territory of the other party state, the receiving state to act in that regard solely as agent for the sending state.