Charles Knowles killed himself at the youth detention center, prompting scrutiny of how Long Creek treats LGBTQ youths and how well it protects young people with mental health problems.
Long Creek Youth Development Center
Posted inMaine, News, Politics
Legislation should require closure of Maine’s youth prison, advocates say
A bill would gradually reduce the number of young people held at the Long Creek Youth Development Center, without setting a date to close it.
advertisement
Posted inMaine, News, Politics
Lawmakers consider bill to prohibit prosecuting anyone younger than 12
The measure would also eliminate the minimum stay for youths committed to the state’s only youth detention center, and would commit no one younger than age 14.
Posted inMaine, Maine Crime, News, Politics
Bill would phase out use of Long Creek youth detention center
The measure would also prohibit courts from detaining juveniles solely because they can’t be sent home, but critics say it doesn’t go far enough.
Posted inMaine, Maine Crime, News, Politics
National group advises Maine to invest in community services to reduce juvenile incarcerations
Preliminary findings by the Center for Children’s Law and Policy show that 53% of detained youths were held because the state lacked alternative places to house them safely.
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
‘A number of problems:’ Group gathers to discuss Maine’s juvenile justice system
LEWISTON — The young man’s name is Matt and as far as he’s concerned, the Long Creek Youth Development Center ought to be completely dismantled. Pull down the thick steel doors, he suggested, and rip down bars wherever they are found. “Maybe even repurpose it,” the 17-year-old suggested, “and make it into some sort of […]
Posted inMaine, Maine Crime, News
D.C.-based policy group hired to help reform Maine’s juvenile justice system
The Maine Juvenile Justice Advisory Group has hired the Center for Children’s Law and Policy to evaluate Maine’s system and recommend changes.
Posted inMaine, Maine Crime, News
Supreme court justice considers request to release 13-year-old from Long Creek
An attorney is fighting to get the boy out of the Long Creek Youth Development Center, but the state argues that he can be detained while officials search for the right placement for his mental health needs.
Posted inMaine, News
Juvenile justice group convenes with mission of reform
Chief Justice Leigh Saufley tells the task force that the work of creating alternatives to incarcerating youths at the Long Creek Youth Development Center is unfinished business begun a decade ago.
Posted inMaine, News
State agrees to hand over records of suicide attempts at Long Creek
Disability Rights Maine sued last year to get the records during an investigation into the state’s only juvenile detention facility, where 5 suicide attempts were reported in a 3-month span.