PORTLAND, Maine — For the last five years, Randall Liberty has been trying to redefine what it means to serve a successful prison sentence.
Liberty, who has more than 36 years of leadership experience in the fields of corrections and law enforcement, was sworn in as the commissioner of corrections in 2019 under Gov. Janet Mills. Before that, Liberty served as warden of the Maine State Prison and worked in the Kennebec County Sheriff's Office.
Since his time as commissioner, Liberty has been working to give inmates a shot at a better life. Whether it be access to medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder, more programming and vocational opportunities, or overhauling the solitary confinement unit.
"It's all about outcomes," Commissioner Liberty said. "If the outcomes that we are trying to achieve are making Maine a safer state, making our community safer, this is how we make safe communities. We release people that are healthier, that are good citizens, and they don't return."
Part 1
Liberty said in 2017, there were 80 assaults on correctional officers working in the Maine State Prison. Last year, there were seven.
He believes the dramatic decrease is a direct result of the work being done in Warren.
“We all believe in redemption when it pertains to us but when we're asked to give forgiveness to others or let other people redeem that's a struggle for many of us,” Liberty said. “I would say the men in this unit, many of the men in our custody, have redeemed themselves. They've done all the things that they should do supporting each other, the individuals here that are working on sending money home to their families their children, paying off their fines, restitution. All of that. It's working well for us.”
Part 2
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