News & Commentary

"The new policy states that prisoners can be transferred out of state against their will only in certain situations: they need medical or psychological attention Maine’s facilities can’t provide, they can’t be safely managed in Maine or they are a safety hazard to prison staff or other prisoners.  If an inmate is transferred out of state against his will, he can appeal the decision to a newly-formed committee of prison staffers that will write recommendations to the commissioner about where the inmate should be housed. And instead of being told “no, you can not return” without a reason, the Maine Department of Corrections now must “clearly identify the requirements [to return], include specific time frames, [have a plan] for the prisoner to participate in recommended treatment … [and] set out the period of time the prisoner must be free of major discipline in order to be considered for return to Maine,” the policy states." The new policy is especially encouraging because it actually takes a step away from a key element of the private corrections model.     For the better part of a year, the ACLU of Maine was speaking out against L.D. 1095: “An Act To Facilitate the Construction and Operation of Private Prisons by Authorizing the Transport of Prisoners out of State" (the bill was finally defeated last month).  Maine certainly did no

Did you know that taking photos in public of public actions—especially police—is a protected right? Furthermore, police can’t confiscate or view your photographs without a warrant, and they may not delete them under any circumstance. These are just a few of the interesting bits of information on this link to the ACLU’s Know Your Rights: Photographers website (applicable to amateur and professional photographers alike).

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