Maine attorney general won’t defend LePage administration in prison closure lawsuit
Janet Mills, in fact, wants to argue for the other side, that the state Constitution was violated by LePage officials when they emptied the Downeast Correctional Facility last week.
Don’t buy into this billionaire’s push to improve rights for crime victims in Maine
Marsalee “Marsy” Nicholas should not have been stalked and killed by her ex-boyfriend in California in 1983. And family members should never have had to encounter the killer in a grocery store just a week after her death, unaware that he had been released on bail.
Anthony Sanborn, Maine’s 1st convicted killer to be released on bail, gets taste of freedom
Anthony Sanborn was jailed for nearly three decades before he became Maine’s first convicted murderer released on bail, adjusting to a world that left him behind. The greatest unknown comes this fall, when he returns to court to learn his fate.
What ex-cons say they need to stay out of jail
PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Re-entering the workforce can be a challenge for people who have been convicted of a crime. Employers almost always ask if someone has ever been convicted of a crime, or run some type of background check. Checking the box "yes" can sometimes cost a person a potential job.
LePage commutes 17 prisoner sentences
PORTLAND, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage has granted more than a dozen prisoners early release, capping a tumultuous week that has left legislators uncertain of whether he will continue to push to close the state prison in Machiasport.
Death of longtime Maine State Prison inmate not deemed suspicious
Deane Brown, 53, who had complained about prison conditions and filed a federal lawsuit, was serving a lengthy sentence for a burglary spree in the mid-1990s
Our View: Video visits won’t solve major challenges at Maine’s county jails
Increasing treatment funds is key to mitigating drug addiction and smuggling, and allowing contact visits builds the family ties that prevent re-offending.
Video Calls Replace In-Person Visits In Some Jails
Since her son Tommy went to jail, Dawn Herbert has been trying to see him as much as she can. He's incarcerated less than a 10-minute drive from her house in Keene, N.H. But he might as well be a lot farther.
Our View: Maine corrections chief right to speak up on Long Creek suicide
Commissioner Joseph Fitzpatrick should keep talking about the issues raised by this tragedy.
Corrections chief plans outside review in response to suicide at Long Creek
In his first interview since the death of 16-year-old Charles Maisie Knowles, Commissioner Joseph Fitzpatrick says he will invite a diverse group of independent groups to review policies and practices.
Long Creek juvenile center’s mental health protocols questioned after suicide
'Every red flag should have gone up' in the case of a suicidal transgender teen, national experts say. So far, the state-run facility has shed no light.
Reported suicide by transgender boy housed in girls unit at Long Creek prompts demand for review
His death while on suicide watch raises many questions about incarceration practices, but corrections officials aren't talking, even as two groups ask the Maine attorney general to investigate.
CHANGE IS POSSIBLE: SOLITARY CONFINEMENT REFORM IN MAINE
Over the past four decades, prisons across the country have increasingly relied on solitary confinement—isolating prisoners in small poorly-lit cells for 23-24 hours per day—as a disciplinary tool for prisoners who are difficult to manage in the general population. But research has shown that these conditions cause serious mental deterioration and illness. When these prisoners are eventually released from solitary confinement, they have difficulties integrating into the general prison population into life on the outside.
Maine Voices: Alternative confinement should be expanded for aging, ailing prisoners
With proper supervision, nursing homes, hospices and assisted living can be humane and cost-effective.
Prisoner dies at Maine Correctional Center
WINDHAM, Maine —
An investigation is underway into the death of an inmate at the Maine Correction Center in Windham.
Wayne Patrick King, 36, died late Sunday morning, according to prison officials.
Maine Voices: Contact with media is helpful for inmates who want to rejoin society
A policy change allowing prisoners to submit writing for publication upholds First Amendment rights.
Why Maine prisoners kept the right to publish their writings
In the absence of strong reasons to restrict prisoner communications, the Department of Corrections has dropped rule changes that would have barred inmates from having pen pals and publishing materials under their own names. This is the right decision. Such restrictions likely would have violated inmates’ constitutional rights, opening up the state to court challenges.
Authorities investigate death of inmate at Maine State Prison
The Department of Corrections says only that Donald Riley, 67, died around 2:15 p.m. Thursday.