BY MEGHAN V. MALLOY

Staff Writer

Amy Cherkassky isn't one to back away from challenges.

At the age of 28, the Sabattus native has earned her master's in human services and is currently writing a dissertation for her doctorate, also in human services.

Cherkassky's biggest challenge right now, however, is tackling the best way to provide mental health care, counseling and overall programming for Kennebec County's incarcerated.

If the energetic Cherkassky has any nervous reservations about her new position as the Kennebec County jail's programs director, she doesn't show it.

"I'm excited," she said of the position. "I'm ready for this."

Cherkassky was hired as the new programs director for the Kennebec County jail May 12. Her duties include assessing existing programs for inmates already behind bars, overseeing the implementation of new programs, such as faith-based counseling and study for interested individuals, and possibly re-evaluating the direction of jail programs.

The first month, Cherkassky said, has been "positive."

"The first three weeks were the basics," she said. "I did checks with corrections officers walking the floors and it was very interesting."

Last week, Cherkassky had the opportunity to execute a work-detail program for inmates who have committed multiple offenses. Thirty-six low-security inmates were shuttled to Pine Tree camp in Rome to repair machinery, mow the grounds and haul docks into the water.

Such guided instruction for inmates is crucial, Cherkassky believes.

"Not everyone in jail is a hardened criminal," she said. "People make mistakes and accept the punishment for it, but sitting behind the walls (of a jail) isn't always beneficial."

Corrections is a new field for Cherkassky.

After working extensively throughout Pennsylvania as a mental-health case manager and as the director of a human services institution, she returned to Maine in 2006 to work for Motivational Services Inc., an Augusta-based nonprofit aimed at helping adults control their mental illnesses.

Still, Cherkassky said, she wanted more challenges.

"I like trying to figure people out and see what makes them tick," Cherkassky said. "Working with offenders in jail with a mental illness is something that has long held my interest, and I just knew it was the way to go."

Cherkassky was hired at a time when jail staff are implementing several programs to divert low-security inmates from incarceration, in-house programs for those already in jail, and services to help inmates readjust to society when they leave jail.

Though this is the first time Cherkassky has applied her background in mental health services to an incarcerated population, Kennebec County Sheriff Randall Liberty said he feels confident about Cherkassky taking the reins.

"Amy has adjusted very well," he said of her transition to corrections from working with the general public. "Given her background, especially her educational background, we have high expectations."

Liberty has already worked closely with his staff at the jail to implement programs such as the Co-occurring Disorders Court, substance-abuse meetings such as Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous, and pre-trial services that keep defendants out of jail until their trials yet still accountable in the court system.

The jail will continue to expand upon existing programs and develop new ideas, Liberty said, such as introducing more consistent religious services and access to members of the clergy.

In midsummer, jail staff will enhance female-specific inmate programming. The population of women in Maine jails and prisons has continued to steadily rise in the past decade, a Kennebec Journal investigation indicated last fall.

Cherkassky said her first order of business will be tracking recidivism rates -- how often an offender commits another offense -- then use the data to determine if any programming the jail has in place needs re-evaluation.

Meghan V. Malloy -- 623-3811 Ext. 431

mmalloy@centralmaine.com