By Scott Thistle
Bangor Daily News
AUGUSTA, Maine — Officials at the Maine Department of Corrections say they want to change the rules for attempted prison breaks at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham.
Unlike guards at the Maine State Prison in Warren, guards at the Windham facility are not allowed to shoot to kill if a prisoner makes a break for it.
But increasingly, the prisoners in Windham are more dangerous than they used to be and may pose a higher risk for escape, according to Corrections Department officials who spoke to the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee during a work session this month on LD 1588, a bill that would allow the change.
While the bill is still being worked on, lawmakers on the committee appear to be split along party lines, with Republicans in support of the change and Democrats opposing it.
Full story: Dept. of Corrections wants ‘shoot-to-kill’ rule for Windham prison guards