Cory Hubert is Wiscasset’s new School Resource Officer.  He is a long way from his former career as corrections officer at the Maine State Prison in Warren.

Currently, he is working on field training. He has to complete a certain number of hours of the basic police work before he can attend the Police Academy. He is not sure he can get into the January class, and said it might be August before he attends. Until then, he will split his time between his duties at Wiscasset Middle High School and Wiscasset Elementary School and other police calls.

“I want to work with the kids,” he said. His motivation was from his own childhood experiences. “I know a lot of them are going through the same kinds of things I went through as a kid. Some kids don’t have the guidance they need at home.” He hoped to provide some positive mentoring, which is why the job appealed to him.

Hubert said his goal is to work with the kids and their families, but he knows that kids are facing a lot of issues, such as domestic violence, the opioid crisis, other drug and alcohol use, and other problems that prevent them from reaching their potential. “My goal is to keep the kids from ending up in prison,” he said.

Hubert worked for the prison the last five years. He said many of the men he worked with came from dysfunctional homes. He said he was one of a newer generation of corrections officers who saw the prisoners as human beings. “I didn’t care so much about why they were there. But some of them will be getting out, and my job was to help them not come back.” He said many of them were disappointed that he was leaving.

Hubert lives in Wiscasset with his fiancee. He said his children are grown up now. “We have great neighbors,” he said. “Everyone’s been super kind and generous.” He said he hopes to  become a strong resource for the town.