FARMINGTON — People from Franklin County told members of the state Board of Corrections on Wednesday that the community is losing the opportunity to help inmates when they are housed outside the county.

About 100 people attended the public hearing at the University of Maine at Farmington to talk about returning the jail to full operations from a 72-hour holding facility.

People also told the board that towns are losing valuable inmate labor that helps keeps taxes down and also helps the inmates be productive and reduce their sentences. The support the inmates would receive locally would help them stop criminal behavior, they said.

When a round trip to visit inmates is more than 100 miles it makes it difficult on families, defense attorneys, the jail system and police departments that investigate cases, they said. They also said it is affecting investigations and the outcomes for victims.

The long travel hours for jailers transporting inmates also presents a danger to public safety, some said. Others said the way it is now, the local inmates are being warehoused in other facilities without the availability of services that could help them if they stayed in Farmington. Some pointed out that those in custody are being taken away from their families but hadn’t been convicted.

Franklin County commissioners requested the jail be returned to full service.

As part of the state’s county jail consolidation in 2009, the Franklin County Detention Center in Farmington became a 72-hour holding facility. It means inmates cannot be kept more than 72 hours before they are sent to another jail in the state.

They were being transported to Somerset County Jail in Madison, a 73-mile round trip, but due to that jail’s dispute with the state, it stopped taking inmates in late March. It was the second time within a year that Franklin County had to transport its inmates farther away where beds were available.

The Farmington jail operated for more than 100 years as full-service prior to 2009.

Testimony in favor of the jail returning to full status continued more than an hour.

A Corrections Working Group recommended to the Board of Corrections that the Farmington facility be able to open to full-service back in April. If minor renovations were done, the jail could hold up to 44 inmates; if everything stayed the same, it could hold about 30 inmates.

Members of the Board of Corrections on Wednesday asked the Working Group to study the affect on finances if Franklin County does not pay into the investment fund and that money is taken away from another county.

The Board of Corrections will accept written comment on the jail’s change of mission until July 3. It has until Sept. 10 to make a decision on the change, if no other hearings are needed, board Chairman Mark Westrum said.

Defense lawyer Woody Hanstein of Farmington said having those in custody out of easy reach presents a problem to preparing defenses, jeopardizing their equal protection rights.

“It really isn’t fair,” he said. At least one person he represents fell through the cracks for 55 days in another facility, he said. One is facing a 10-year sentence if he cannot get into drug court in Androscoggin County, he said. Resources are so scarce that the inmate may not be able to be assessed at the out-of-county facility to see if he would qualify, he said.

“We have to do something different,” Hanstein said.

Roberta Howard of Farmington held up a large photo of the jail. She told the board that is what they want: the jail back.

The people of Franklin County trust the leaders of the county and trust the sheriff and his staff, she said.

“Please give us back our jail,” Howard said.

Jay Town Manager Ruth Cushman testified about the additional cost to police departments for transportation when they have to travel long distances to interview inmates.

Her town was fortunate to be able to use some of the inmate labor when they were housed locally, she said. Some of them were very hard workers and they wanted to have their sentences reduced.

At the end of the season, she had a pizza party for them and they turned the tables on her, she said.

“They thanked me for the opportunity” to work in the town, she said. “They were feeling pretty productive.” They were good workers regardless of what town they worked in, she said.

NOTE: The story has been modified to reflect correct day hearing was held.

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