When Jeff Chute became a jail guard in 1995, the job fit him.

After four years as a Navy engineer, he liked the rank structure and the bond that corrections officers at the Androscoggin County Jail shared. He also seemed to have a way with inmates.

“It’s not for everybody,” Chute said. “But it was something I was good at.”

He has now served for four years as the Androscoggin County Jail’s assistant administrator, working for longtime top guard Capt. John Lebel.

When Lebel retires in a year or two — as he has told the Sun Journal — Chute plans to be among the applicants.

“I’d love a shot at the job,” Chute said.

Name: Jeff Chute

Age: 42

Hometown: Leeds

Single, relationship or married? Married to Christine Chute

Children? Ethan 10, Addison 9, Lilly 5.

You’ve been working at the Androscoggin County Jail for several years. How did you get involved in corrections? I started in corrections here at the Androscoggin County Jail in 1995, not long after completing my service in the U.S Navy.

Do you still have contact with the inmates? Yes, I still meet with inmates frequently by making regular visits to living areas.

As the assistant administrator at the jail, you’ve had a hand in many different elements of the jail, from projects such as special sentences for people convicted of OUI to issues relating to crowding. Do you have a special interest? I believe that the makeup of a jail’s population is a cross-section of the community in which it serves. Oftentimes, whatever issues and problems the community is experiencing are magnified inside the jail. With that being said, I see many inmates who are incarcerated due to untreated mental health issues. While the jail does a great job getting this group of people back on track and helping them, I feel Maine needs to do a better job of helping people with acute mental illnesses get the treatment they need, prior to entering the criminal justice system.

What’s the biggest misconception about the jail? I am surprised by how many people still think the jail has doors and windows with bars on them and long, dark, dirty hallways. The jail still has cells and locked doors. However, they are steel with re-enforced mesh windows for security. There are clean, well-polished floors maintained by inmate labor. Our kitchen is staffed with inmate labor and supervised by one of our jail chefs. All our food is prepared on site from scratch to reduce costs. None is brought in already prepared or ordered out, as some people believe.

Have you ever been scared inside? There have been a few times over my career that I have encountered some situations that have made me more nervous than others. During these times, you learn to fall back on your training to ensure a positive outcome.

There’s a stereotype that jail personnel are all big and burly types. Certainly John Lebel, the jail’s administrator, is well over 6 feet tall. Has your smaller stature ever gotten in the way? I thought I was big and burly. Over the years, I have learned that treating people with respect and talking to them often negates the use of physical force. 

The 22-year-old jail was originally designed for about 100 inmates. There have been lots of changes, including the installation of more bunks and the closure of the juvenile area. With the population often surging past 150 people, how many more inmates can the jail hold? The jail’s current rated capacity set by the Maine Department of Corrections is 160 inmates. Under Maine’s current “One Maine, One System” jail network, we have been able to house some of our inmates in other counties when the need arises. I believe the jail’s capacity cannot be increased more than the rated 160 due to the current physical plant of the facility.

What’s it like when you run into former inmates outside in the community? With the rare exception, it is often the same as seeing anyone else in your community — say “hello” and sometimes chat for a while. It is has been my experience that if you treat people with respect and dignity inside the jail, they will treat you the same way, whether they are incarcerated or in the community.

You’ve been working on certifications to further your career. What are you learning? I was certified in June of 2011 as a certified correctional manager from the American Correctional Association. I also attended the National Institute of Corrections in Colorado in January 2012. The American Correctional Association certification process focused on operating correctional facilities while employing industry practices and standards. The NIC training focused primarily on executive and leadership development.

What’s next for you? I plan on continuing my path in jail administration and feel that my years of service and training have prepared me well to assume the responsibility as a jail administrator in the future.