Inmate manslaughter trial postponed due to late filing of evidence by state
ROCKLAND, Maine — The jury trial of a former Maine State Prison inmate accused of beating another prisoner to death more than four years ago has been postponed until at least January after the defense said it was provided with a “mind-boggling” amount of evidence at the 11th hour.
Former Knox County Jail guard charged with sexually assaulting inmate
ROCKLAND, Maine — A former Knox County Jail guard was arrested Tuesday and charged with sexually assaulting a former inmate at least three times while she was incarcerated last year.
Increased violence at Maine’s psych hospital prompts reform
AUGUSTA, Maine — Of the 92 people in state custody who were found “not criminally responsible” for crimes, 18 have been charged with at least one count of murder.
Maine’s mentally ill more likely to be in prison than hospital
Maine lawmakers last week signed off on a plan that will allow the state to transfer certain patients from Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta, one of Maine’s two state-run psychiatric hospitals, to an expanded, 32-bed mental health unit at Maine State Prison in Warren.
Judge: Brewer man charged in prison death will be held without bail — if he’s found
OCKLAND, Maine — A state judge has ordered that when police track down a Brewer area man, who is charged with manslaughter in the 2009 beating deathof a Maine State Prison inmate, he be held without bail.
Another View: State prison wrong setting for Riverview forensic patients
We are troubled by the assertion that patients who have been found too mentally ill to be held responsible for a crime still belong in prison (“Our View: Forensic patients swamp state mental hospital,” Aug. 25).
Planned $100 million prison in Windham controversial
WINDHAM, Maine — Inside this fenced-in, fortresslike prison building, guards never stop watching from behind tinted windows.
Maine curbing per-prisoner health care costs
A study also shows huge increases elsewhere, including a 300 percent rise in New Hampshire.
Inmate hangs himself at Aroostook County Jail in Houlton
HOULTON, Maine — Maine State Police are investigating what they said Monday was the early morning suicide of an inmate at the Aroostook County Jail.
Maine Voices; Maine, too, is guilty of overusing prisons as punishment
As people across the nation tuned in to the speech by Attorney General Eric Holder last week, it may have been easy for Mainers to tune out. After all, Mr. Holder’s topic was the bloated federal prison system, but here in Maine we have the lowest incarceration rate in the country. Unfortunately, that’s not saying much. America has more people in prison per capita than anywhere else in the world. And even in Maine, we incarcerate people at a higher rate than most European countries.
Case of Liberty felon highlights problems released prisoners face when rejoining society
LIBERTY, Maine — What would happen if a person committed a violent crime as a young person, served time for it, found it tough to find a place to live after prison and ended up staying in a camper trailer near a public park?
30-year-old inmate dies after being rushed from Cumberland County Jail to hospital
PORTLAND, Maine — A 30-year-old Portland woman on a state probation hold at Cumberland County Jail died Wednesday morning after suffering seizures, according to a county sheriff’s office announcement.
Hancock County prosecutor admits violating bar rules in sexual assault trial
PORTLAND, Maine — A prosecutor from Hancock County admitted Monday morning to a state supreme court justice that she violated rules of the Maine Bar when she prosecuted a former Gouldsboro man on gross sexual assault and misdemeanor assault charges.
Woman says guard forced her to have sex in Knox County Jail
ROCKLAND, Maine — A Washington woman has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Knox County claiming that a former jail guard repeatedly coerced her into having sex while she was incarcerated at the county jail in Rockland.
No motive yet in Maine prison homicide
Guy Hunnewell is accused of killing fellow inmate Alan Powell Jr., but state officials aren't saying what might have caused the attack.
New Maine State Prison warden named
WARREN, Maine — Rodney Bouffard, who has served as acting warden at the Maine State Prison for the past several months, was named warden Friday.
The Maine Department of Corrections announced the appointment in a news release Wednesday.
Judge to decide whether Hancock County prosecutor faces unprecedented suspension
ELLSWORTH, Maine — A board that oversees the conduct of licensed attorneys in the state of Maine has filed a complaint about a Hancock County prosecutor with the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
Federal judge sides with state in prisoner lawsuits over padlock beatings
BANGOR, Maine — A federal judge has sided with state officials in lawsuits over a trio of assaults in which prison-issued padlocks were used as weapons by inmates against other prisoners.
Gay former prison guard files discrimination lawsuit against state
MACHIAS, Maine — A gay former prison guard has filed a civil rights discrimination suit against the Maine Department of Corrections after she was fired from her position at Downeast Correctional Facility in Machiasport, where both she and her attorney say “an old boy culture of disrespect for women” is entrenched.