It's all about being a whole person, Sally Macleod told the Lincoln County Commissioners.

At least, that's what any number of student-inmates at Two Bridges Regional Jail hope for, Macleod said.

Macleod, Center for Teaching and Learning science teacher and instructor at the jail, and Two Bridges Guard Sue Sutter spoke Tuesday, Dec. 17 with the Lincoln County Commissioners about the educational and professional programs currently being offered at the jail.

Macleod has been teaching at the jail for approximately four years. Two Bridges' program, which is run through Wiscasset Adult Education, consists of volunteers who help inmates earn his or her GED or write a resume, among other things, Macleod said.

“We feel that for many inmates the more education they have on the inside, the more success they will have on the outside,” she said. “Since I started four years, we've had 90 people earn their GED.

“This has been a tremendous asset to Lincoln County.”

Macleod said the rates for recidivism drop when inmates enter programs offered at the jail. Although numbers weren't available, Macleod and Sheriff Todd Brackett said Lincoln County does better than the state's 60 percent recidivism rate.

Unlike other recent programs offered in other county jails, Lincoln County's program has been in place for several years, Sutter said.

Unfortunately, there is still recidivism in the jail, she said.

“Like it or not, we see a lot of the same faces again and again,” she said. “I've even seen the grandchildren from some of the inmates at the old jail. It's depressing.”

Brackett said there was a common thread to those who exhibit a strong tendency to re-offend.

“It varies, but it's probably around 85 percent or more who have some sort of substance abuse problem,” he said. “Whether it's drugs or alcohol, substance abuse is one of the root causes behind re-offending.”

Sutter said that unlike in years past, the jail has become where people with mental health issues are housed. Unlike their lives on the outside, sometimes people with mental health issues can't get the medications they need.

But, the people who are reached try to be better, Macleod said.

“Most people want to do whatever it takes to make them a better person,” she said. “They think about what it takes to be a well-rounded person.”