The new Maine Correctional Center in Windham officially opened Wednesday on the grounds of the former prison, which was more than 100 years old. The new facility now holds 400 residents, both men and women, who are getting their GED's, job training, and behavioral health care.
Corrections Commissioner Randy Liberty says one of the most popular programs at the Maine Correctional Center is the gardening team, where residents plant, grow, harvest and learn to cook from scratch.
"What we're trying to do in the Department of Corrections is a lot of scratch cooking, a lot of fresh cooking, reducing our carbon footprint, doing our own internal operation," Liberty said. "We find the residents really enjoy gardening."
Liberty says residents have to compete to be in the gardening program, because so many want to be outdoors doing something positive while in confinement. He says the goal is to grow enough produce to feed the population of residents and even give some produce to food pantries in the community.
Demolition of the old prison started in 2018. The state says the design and construction team overcame cost and supply challenges to complete the $142 million facility on time and within budget during the pandemic. The Maine Correctional Center has the capacity to hold 720 offenders, most of whom are in jail for drug-related offenses.