News & Commentary

There is already plenty of objection to making uniformed, armed police permanent fixtures in schools. Now, officials want to put cameras on the bodies of these officers – placing students under constant police surveillance and knitting schools, police, and prisons closer together.

Many students heading back to school are being greeted by more police and metal detectors, but few, if any, counselors — this is especially true for students of color. Beyond having more police officers who could be armed, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is reportedly considering a plan to allow states to buy guns for teachers using federal funds. 

On March 14 we filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of the mother of a young boy, who was brutally mistreated at Long Creek Youth Development Center. While he was there, he was denied adequate medical care and services for his disability, and when his condition worsened, he was brutally attacked by two prison guards. Our hope is that this lawsuit will lead to justice for our clients, and that it will help convince the public that children do not belong in prison. Much about what we know about problems at Long Creek comes from this report from the Center for Children’s Law and Policy documenting substantial problems at Long Creek relating to medical care, staff training, the use of excessive force, and other issues. We expect to learn a great deal more over the course of the litigation.

Each week we will provide you with a rundown of top news stories and must-read articles.

A recent NPR story amplifies what multiple studies—and people of color—have been saying for decades: when students have teachers that look like them, it helps those students go farther and achieve more in school.

Evidence has shown that most youth break the law, but only a few are locked up for it. About 66,500 adolescents (ages 10-17) live in Maine, but on any given day, only 70 to 90 are behind bars. So why do some kids get to go about their lives, while others are taken from their families and put behind bars?  

From our op-ed in the Portland Press Herald:

Yesterday, the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) released a report detailing myriad places the LePage Administration has been leaving money on the table at the expense of everyday Mainers. The report shows that most of the money is being left behind by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), led by Commissioner Mary Mayhew, and would otherwise go to fund things like mental health programming and drug rehabilitation and treatment programs.

The Maine legislature is considering two bills that would make it harder for some Mainers to vote.