Maine Corrections Commissioner Liberty to retire Oct. 1

Commissioner of the Maine Department of Corrections Randall Liberty is retiring on Oct. 1 after seven years in the post and more than four decades of corrections, military and law enforcement service. 

Deputy Commissioner Anthony Cantillo will become acting commissioner until an official replacement is nominated, likely by the next governor. New nominations require confirmation by the Maine Legislature. 

During his time as commissioner, Liberty implemented the “Maine Model of Corrections,” praised as one of the country’s most restorative programs focused on rehabilitation, human dignity and community reintegration. 

“Only in Maine, and only in America, could a young corrections officer once assigned to guard his own father in a county jail go on to lead transformational change across corrections systems around the world,” Gov. Janet Mills said of Liberty, who had done so during his first job as a part-time patrolman for the Fairfield Police Department and Somerset County Jail. 

Mills nominated Liberty to serve as commissioner shortly after she was first elected in 2018. 

“I am deeply grateful to every department employee whose dedication made this work possible, and to Governor Mills for her steadfast trust and support as we’ve worked to redefine what corrections can look like,” Liberty said in a statement Wednesday. 

During interviews with Maine Morning Star, people incarcerated in Maine have praised the improvements Liberty made during his tenure, such as allowing people to engage in remote work and obtain degrees while in prison. However, incarcerated Mainers and prison reform advocates are also continuing to raise alarm about the ways they see the system falling short, such as a longstanding loophole in prison disciplinary policy that allows for punishment regardless of guilt and a lack of independent oversight of Maine prisons. 

Liberty had also previously served as warden of the Maine State Prison and before that for more than 26 years in the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, including nine as the elected sheriff. Liberty served in the military for 24 years, including 21 in the Army National Guard and Army Reserves.