State plans new psychiatric facilities to take pressure off youth prison, official says

PORTLAND, Maine — The state intends to set up secure, regional psychiatric facilities to serve young people with serious mental illness and relieve pressure on Maine’s youth prison, Department of Corrections officials said Thursday.

For more than a year, the Long Creek Youth Development Center has been strained by the influx of teenagers whose needs prison officials have acknowledged cannot be met in a corrections facility.

More >> State plans new psychiatric facilities to take pressure off youth prison, official says

• Long Creek is failing to keep Maine kids safe. It’s time for its doors to close.

Corrections officials say Long Creek is making progress, fixing problems

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER)-- The leader of Maine’s corrections system says they’re making significant changes at the Long Creek Youth Development Center,  following recommendations from an independent audit earlier this year. That audit led the Maine Civil Liberties Union to say Long Creek should be closed.


More >> Corrections officials say Long Creek is making progress, fixing problems

• Audit critical of Long Creek confirmed what officials knew, corrections chief says, but fixes are being made

Former teen inmate alleges abusive conditions at Maine youth detention center in 1990s

A former juvenile inmate has filed a lawsuit alleging mistreatment stretching back to the 1990s at the facility today known as Long Creek Juvenile Detention Center in South Portland.

Matthew Keene, 36, of Standish was detained at the facility through the second half of the 1990s, from when he was 13 years old through his 18th birthday when he was transferred to an adult facility, according to the lawsuit filed in October. The South Portland detention facility was called Maine Youth Center at the time.

More >> Former teen inmate alleges abusive conditions at Maine youth detention center in 1990s

Maine ACLU calls for youth detention center to shut down amid report

The ACLU of Maine says the Long Creek Youth Detention Center in South Portland should be shut down following the release of an independent report about what happens inside the facility.

More >> Maine ACLU calls for youth detention center to shut down amid report

Review finds Long Creek youth center understaffed, ill-equipped

The state's only youth correctional center fails to meet residents' severe mental-health needs, an independent study says, and urges a top-to-bottom rethinking of the juvenile justice system throughout the state.

More >> Review finds Long Creek youth center understaffed, ill-equipped

Maine will participate in review of anti-bullying laws

AUGUSTA, Maine —
Officials with a pair of Maine state agencies say they will participate in a study to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-bullying laws.

The Maine Department of Education and the Maine Center for Disease Control are taking part in the study as part of a partnership with a group of universities. The education department says the study will review the efficacy and implementation of anti-bullying laws that have been in effect since 1999.

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Maine CPS Harressing a Family Rights?

Former Kennebunk teacher denies sexually assaulting student

KENNEBUNK, Maine — A former Kennebunk High School teacher pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges she sexually assaulted a student.

Jill Lamontagne is accused of having sex with a student.

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Portland, Maine's New Transgender Policy Tramples on Parental Rights

This week, the Portland, Maine School District adopted a comprehensive transgender policy for their students. But in an attempt to welcome and create a safe haven for all, the left-leaning city has ended up crafting an overreaching debacle that tramples upon parental rights.

On Tuesday, November 28, 2017, the Portland Board of Education unanimously approved a motion that requires all Portland, ME schools implement annual staff training on gender issues, “use a student’s preferred name and personal pronoun, and take the student’s side at school if there is disagreement with a parent’s wishes.”

More >> Portland, Maine's New Transgender Policy Tramples on Parental Rights