Previous names: Maine State Reform School for Boys (1853), State School for Boys (1903), Boys Training Center (1959), Maine Youth Center (1976-2001)
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Long Creek workers used housing meant for girls during staffing crunch, documents show
Long Creek Youth Development Center said it doesn’t “currently” house employees at the STEPS House, designed for use of girls.
Long Creek Youth Development Center – Reported Culture Shift Supports Rehabilitation Over Punishment
As part of our tour of Maine prisons and jails, some of us visited Long Creek Youth Development Center. The facility in South Portland, houses up to 163 of Maine’s juvenile offenders, including a
Former Long Creek inmate sues state, alleging excessive isolation, sexual assault as teen
The lawsuit targets the Maine Department of Corrections, which is tasked with rehabilitating juveniles at the Long Creek Youth Development Center; instead, a former resident alleges, staff subjected him to cruel and unusual punishment.
Litchfield man’s lawsuit says he was sexually abused, forced into isolation in Maine youth prisons
Alexander Mascal says he experienced excessive isolation, unnecessary use of force and restraint, and was sexually abused while at the Mountain View and Long Creek youth development centers from 2012 to 2016.
Critical investigative report reignites calls to close Long Creek youth prison
Advocates came closer than ever to closing the state’s only youth prison during the last legislative session, winning support in the House and Senate, only to face a veto from Gov. Mills.
Maine Department of Corrections hires national group to review violent incidents at Long Creek
Though at least 2 officers could face criminal charges, Commissioner Randy Liberty put much of the blame for the recent turmoil on incarcerated youths.
Mother sues over her teenage son’s death at Long Creek in 2016
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.
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.
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.
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.
State pays $500,000 to settle lawsuit alleging abuse at juvenile facility
Matthew Keene of Standish was held at the Maine Youth Center, now called Long Creek Youth Development Center, from 1995 to 1999.
Young Mainers want to close and repurpose Long Creek youth prison – Maine Beacon
As another state commission looks into what to do with Maine’s last youth prison, Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland, a group of system-impacted youth have some demands. They want to close the juvenile detention center and repurpose the facility’s $17.5 million operating budget towards small, community-based residential centers. They say Long Creek
mainebeacon.com
‘Shame on Us’: How Maine struggles to handle troubled youth
Maine lawmakers hoped to be in the vanguard of a national movement to transform how governments deal with teenagers who break the law.
wgme.com
Lawmakers split on response to reports of increased juvenile crimes
The House rejects a bill that would allow police to resume temporary detentions of juveniles for less serious crimes, with Democrats calling for more services to support at-risk youth.
Lawmakers make late move to close Long Creek Youth Development Center
Legislators gutted a bill originally aimed at limiting some use-of-force techniques at the youth prison, and now seek a timeline to close the facility entirely.
South Portland police respond to unrest among incarcerated youths at Long Creek
Authorities say no one was injured but property was damaged in the incident Sunday night at the state’s Long Creek Youth Development Center.
Violent incidents prompt leadership shake-up and possible criminal charges at Maine’s youth prison
Prosecutors are considering charges against multiple corrections officers at the Long Creek Youth Development Center, say lawmakers who were briefed this week.
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.
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.
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.
Home | Maine Youth Justice
We are calling for the closure of Long Creek Youth Development Center, Maine’s last youth prison, and the reinvestment of millions into our communities. Get Involved Learn More We believe that safety comes through strengthening communities, addressing the root causes of harm, and promoting individual and collective well being, not incarceration. Learn More Maine […]
National Juvenile Justice Group Asked To Review Long Creek For A Third Time Following Dangerous Use Of Restraints
The controversial and dangerous tactic involves putting youth on their stomachs in a prone position and applying pressure to their backs which can cause asphyxiation. That use of that force is now the subject of an investigation.
Report details widespread failures at Long Creek Youth Development Center
The report, which was commissioned by the Maine Department of Corrections, laid out 10 factors leading to violence and strife at the facility, including overzealous behavior of staff, an overly stringent disciplinary system, unclear use of force policies and a lack of involvement of mental health clinicians in conflict situations.
www.wabi.tv
Union workers call for ‘immediate action’ at Maine’s Long Creek facility
Members of the MSEA Local 1989 union say understaffing and under-resourcing is causing “dire safety and security concerns” among staff at the juvenile detention center.
Sexual misconduct at Maine juvenile prison
The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics reports approximately 9.1% of teens at Long Creek Youth Development Center reported experiencing sexual victimization in 2018.
Staff at youth prison slept in empty inmate housing between long shifts
Employees at Long Creek Youth Development Center were allowed to sleep in a housing unit meant for female inmates so they could cut down on long commutes.
Mother settles suit over transgender teen’s 2016 suicide at Long Creek
Michelle Knowles, of North Vassalboro, filed the federal lawsuit against the Maine Department of Corrections in April.
Report says crushing boredom, chronic staff shortages drove outbursts at Long Creek
The report describes a dysfunctional, toxic situation at Maine’s only youth prison that led up to seven critical incidents starting this summer.
Advocacy group says Maine’s youth prison still uses dangerous restraints
Disability Rights Maine wrote to the Department of Corrections to raise the alarm about recent reports of prone restraints at the Long Creek Youth Development Center.
Mills vetoes ‘fundamentally flawed’ bill to close Long Creek youth prison
Mills also moved to block a bill inspired by Hydro-Quebec’s spending on a potential ballot initiative in Maine.
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.
‘A number of problems:’ Group gathers to discuss Maine’s juvenile justice system
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 […]
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.
‘Shame on Us’: How Maine Struggles to Handle Troubled Youth (Published 2024)
Even as fewer teens are being prosecuted, the state is not providing enough intervention, rehabilitation and other help.
