James Young (Photo courtesy of Maine Department of Corrections)
A convicted murderer who was scheduled to be released from prison next year died Tuesday morning at Maine State Prison in Warren.
James Young, 69, of Bangor, is the sixth inmate who has died at the maximum-security facility since October 2018.
Young, who was sentenced June 24, 1993, to serve a 45-year sentence for murder, was scheduled to be released on June 25, 2020.
Young died in the prison infirmary, a nine-bed wing reserved for inmates in fragile health who are in need of 24-hour, intensive medical care, according to Department of Corrections Commissioner Randall A. Liberty. The prison also operates a 32-bed wing where inmates suffering from intensive mental health issues are treated.
Prisoners who who need help with daily living because of advanced age or disabilities are sent to the Charleston Correctional Facility’s assisted-living wing in Penobscot County.
“His death was attended, and was not unexpected,” Liberty said. Patient privacy laws prevent Liberty from providing specific details about a person’s health unless he has their written permission, which he said he did not have in Young’s case.
Six inmates have died at the Warren facility since October. Liberty said he is not alarmed by six inmate deaths in an eight-month period.
“Although it may seem alarming, most of these deaths were medically attended,” Liberty said. “Generally speaking, when you have a population of 2,400 inmates (statewide), many of them arrive in a compromised medical condition.”
Young died around 7:25 a.m. Tuesday, according to a statement issued by Liberty. Consistent with Department of Corrections’ policy, the Maine State Police and Maine Attorney General’s Office were notified of Young’s death.
Liberty said that Young, who had served 26 years in prison, may have been given an early release date for good behavior, though Liberty said he was not familiar with Young’s history as an inmate.
Young was convicted in 1993 of fatally shooting a friend, 36-year-old Michael Marshall, during a fishing trip to Washington County in May 1992. Young and Marshall were accompanied by a third man during the trip.
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