Maine Warden Uses Garden Therapy To Ease Tensions Among Inmates In Old Facility

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man

A corrections-focused news digest explains how Maine Warden Jeffrey D. Merrill uses “garden therapy” at the Thomaston facility to reduce tensions among inmates. It describes the prison’s capacity pressures, the inmate population mix, and specific incidents such as a food fight that prompted menu changes. The article also covers programming, mental health and substance abuse issues, staffing concerns, and plans to replace the aging unit with a new Warren prison.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

IN THIS ISSUE

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CorrectionSDIGEST

December 1,2000Vol.31,No.47 # IN THIS ISSUE Ohio Adopts StrategyTo Help Fight Gang.…………2Public Defender Clients GetLonger Sentences………2Questions Rise About HealthCare In Mississippi Prisons...2Alaska Screens For TBAfter Inmates Test Positive..3 # IN THE COURTS High Court Considers MentalDeficiency In Capital Cases.34th Circuit Approves SurpriseDrug Testing Of Officers……3New Jersey Appeals CourtOkays Drug Scans Of Visitors 4 ACROSS THE STATES Alabama…………………4Connecticut………………5Colorado……………………5Illinois…………………………….5Kentuck.………… …6Louisiana………………………6Maryland…………………6Massachusetts…………………6Mississippi……………………7Ohio…………………………7Oklahoma………………………7Pennsylvani ………7South Carolina………………7Texas…… …………7Wiscons.……………………8 # CorrectionSDIGEST The only independent news service for the corrections professional Warden Jeffrey D.Merrillwants inmates in the Maine StatePrison,nearly half of whom aremurderers and sex offenders,to stopand smell the roses. While time to consider flowersmight seem an odd measure for aninmate serving life,Merrill claimsthere is a purpose behind his pen-chant for placing gardens inside thewalls of the 76-year-old facility. A visitor who gets beyond thesecurity bars finds an open campusand inmates moving freely throughgardens,a library,recreation facili-ties and workshops. Although the prison was builtfor 438 inmates,it is overcapacitywith 504—including 160 murderersand 67 sex offenders. Merrill in an interview said theprison has close,medium andminimum-security inmates and astaff of 252,but has experiencedrare instances of inmate violence—the worst of which was a food fight. After being served turkey in avariety of forms for an extended pe-riod,many of the inmates over-turned their food trays and left thedining hall in protest.Merrill spoketo the inmates about their concernsand changed the menu. The original Maine State Prisonat Thomaston opened with 50 cellsin 1824.Fire destroyed the old # Maine Warden Uses Garden Therapy To EaseTensions Among Inmates In Old Facility buildings in 1850 and a second firedestroyed the rebuilt facilities in1924.The state is replacing the out-dated Thomaston unit with a new 1,000-bed prison in nearby Warren. Although Thomaston offers avariety of programs,a retail storewhere inmates sell their woodcraftsand a computer workshop whereinmates rebuild PCs,the new prisonwill offer a broader range of voca-tional and rehabilitative programs. Even with current limitations,Merrill says,Thomaston has put anemphasis on industries programs.“We offer more work opportunitieshere than any other facility." When inmates qualify for a lesssecure facility,Merrill says,"Theydon't want to transfer." This is usually not the casewhen an inmate arrives,he says.The prison evaluates the inmate onintake and then "forces them to getinto a program.Some blow it off.” "A lot have some form of men-tal illness,"he says.“Some havesubstance abuse problems." Most of the inmates are servinglife or long-term sentences,butMerrill's objective is to preparethose who come to him with"lim-ited abilities"to learn enough to beself-sufficient after their release. The warden can cite a litany ofproblems,but cites a few that top Page 2 his list of concerns.For inmates,hewould like to see more work andtraining programs and more therapyand rehabilitation. For officers,he would like tosee the state adopt a civil serviceprogram that would bring dignity tothe work,better pay and the pros- pect for advancement. Since the demise of its manu-facturing and timber industries ageneration ago,rural Maine hasbeen economically depressed.Theprison offered a livable wage andsecurity despite a potentially dan-gerous environment. But prosperity is coming.Themost recent new resident is thebanking company MBNA.Thecredit card firm relocated its head-quarters near Thomaston and offersjob opportunities that never existedbefore,which has increased thewarden's staffing problems. Merrill holds a vision

FAQs

What is the main purpose of garden therapy in Maine’s prison?

The warden uses gardens to ease tensions and encourage inmates to re-engage with daily life through structured environments and programs.

What challenges does the Thomaston facility face according to the article?

The facility is over capacity, holds a high proportion of murderers and sex offenders, and experiences rare violence incidents such as a food fight.

How are inmates expected to benefit after transferring to less secure facilities?

The prison evaluates inmates on intake and requires program participation; the warden notes that some inmates resist transferring if they do not want to leave their current program opportunities.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man