Commissioner Randall Liberty literally meets people where they are. This just happens to be in Maine prisons. He believes that treating prisoners like people and starting to help them rehabilitate is the only way to do things. He believes in MAT and knows this helps reduce the number of overdoses upon release. Wouldn't it be great if every prison could operate under a system that changes lives, saves lives, and makes people better citizens?
See his impressive bio below!
Commissioner Randall Liberty began his career at the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office in 1989. Over twenty-six years, he served as a Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, Major, Chief Deputy, and as the elected Sheriff for nine years. He served as the President of the Maine Sheriffs Association and as the Chairman of the Maine Drug Enforcement Advisory Board. He continues to serve on the Board of Visitors at the University of Maine (Augusta) and on the Maine Criminal Justice Academy’s Board of Trustees. In addition to his active duty service as a Military Policeman in Korea, Commissioner Liberty performed an additional twenty-one years in the Army National Guard and Army Reserves. He served as a Mountain Infantryman in Italy, as a Drill Sergeant, and as an Instructor at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point. During Liberty’s last deployment, he served as a Command Sergeant Major embedded with 772 Iraqi infantrymen in the City of Fallujah. Liberty is a three-time Law Enforcement Officer of the year. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the National Sheriffs Leadership Institute, and the New England Chiefs of Police Command Course. He earned a Master’s in Management and Leadership from Liberty University and a B.S. in Public Administration from the University of Maine (Augusta). Liberty served as the Warden of the Maine State Prison and was later appointed as the Commissioner of Corrections, by Governor Janet Mills in 2019. During his tenure as Warden and Commissioner, he and his team have reduced restrictive housing, enhanced educational and vocational opportunities, improved nutrition, and expanded treatment for addiction. He and his team provide public safety through supportive intervention and opportunities for the incarcerated Mainers in their care.
https://www.pbs.org/video/matter-duty-matter-duty_1/
https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2019-01-16/the-big-changes-randall-liberty-would-make-as-head-of-maines-prisons