One of America’s greatest shortcomings is our criminal justice system and the immense inequalities within it. In Maine, some of the greatest disparities can be seen within our youth justice system. The statistics of the demographics that make up Long Creek Juvenile Detention Facility are extremely disturbing. A majority of children who end up in prison or juvenile detention centers are children of color and come from low-income communities. In Maine, ⅔ of the population of incarcerated youth were involved with the foster care system. Even more concerning is that 27% of youth at Long Creek are youth of color, while youth of color make up only 9% of Maine’s youth population. With less than 30 students, Long Creek is the 15th most diverse high school in the state. Maine is the whitest state in the country, which makes these statistics that much more infuriating and alarming.
This is not only an issue in Maine, the entire country is guilty of extreme inequality in the youth justice system. Two-thirds of the national incarcerated youth are youth of color, 41% of which are black and 21% of which are Hispanic. Black youth are also disproportionately tried as adults, 54% of youth that are tried as adults are black, while black youth only make up 15% of the youth population. Black youth are nine times more likely than white youth to receive an adult prison sentence; Native American youth are almost two times more likely and Hispanic youth are 40% more likely.
The risks of youth incarceration also cannot be ignored. Offenders that were sent to detention facilities as youth are much more likely to be repeat offenders, since our youth justice system does not provide any sort of rehabilitation or re-entry programs. They are at a much greater risk of physical and psychological abuse, sexual assault, and suicide. Youth that are sentenced to adult prisons are more likley to suffer permanent trauma and are five times more likely to commit suicide. Incarcerated youth also do not receive adequate education while in juvenile facilities, which puts them far behind their peers by the time they are released.
There are far better options for youth than prison or juvenile facilities. The brain is not fully developed until the age of 25, so youth offenders are much more likely to benefit from intervention and rehabilitation than many adult offenders. The work starts at the structural level. Youth of color need better access to basic necessities such as education, extracurriculars, and needs as simple as food. The foster care system needs an entire overhaul so that children in foster care have better outcomes than they do now.
In June of 2021, the Maine House of Representatives approved a bill to close Long Creek within 2 years. L.D. 1668 would have required the Maine Department of Corrections to create a plan to close Long Creek by June 30, 2023, however, Governor Janet Mills vetoed the bill before that could happen. Organizations such as Maine Youth Justice are still fighting to close Long Creek and in the meantime, are trying to push bills such as L.D. 1897 through the legislature, which would prohibit the use of prone and supine restraints, chemical sprays, and electroshock devices. There are many great organizations that are helping incarcerated Maine youth such as Maine Youth Justice, Antonia J. Daley Foundation, Maine Inside Out, and many more that I would encourage everyone to follow.