Eight former detainees at Maine’s only youth correctional facility say they experienced abuse, isolation, cruel punishment and sexual violence while they were held at the facility more than two decades ago, according to a newly filed lawsuit.
The plaintiffs say they endured “unimaginable abuse” during their time at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland.
The suit against the Department of Corrections alleges that the former detainees — who were all held at the facility then known as Maine Youth Center between 1992 and 1999 — were beaten, molested, assaulted, psychologically abused and deprived of basic standards of living by staff members.
It’s far from the first time Long Creek has been accused of cruel punishment or sexual abuse. In 2022 a man sued the facility for excessive isolation and physical abuse, and settled the case in December. One year earlier, another man made similar claims, and also settled with the department. Similar lawsuits were filed in 2023, 2018 and 2017.
Former detainees and other advocates have been calling for Long Creek’s closure for decades. However, bills in the Legislature to phase out use of the facility haven’t made it across the finish line. Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill to close Long Creek in 2021, and during the latest session, a bill to study modifications to the center was signed into law, after being scaled back from a proposal to repurpose Long Creek from a prison into a residential treatment facility.
All of the former detainees in Friday’s lawsuit are identified as just John or Jane Doe, because they were minors at the time. Today, they range from about 41 to 48 years old.
The suit alleges many abusive practices, including putting residents in isolation without meeting statutory requirements, excessive use of force and restraint in the form of a “restraint chair” or with metal handcuffs, leg shackles and zip ties, widespread sexual abuse by staff and neglect of the medical needs of detainees, including mistreatment of those with disabilities and mental health disorders.
Detainees had their arms or noses broken during beatings by guards, were isolated in freezing, windowless rooms where they often tried to harm themselves, had their genitals punched or kicked by employees, were hog-tied naked with their limbs behind them and were sexually assaulted by staff during frequent strip searches, the complaint says. They all experienced long-term physical and psychological effects because of the abuse, it contends.
The center is also a school, the complaint notes, but detainees were deprived of education for weeks or months at a time while held in isolation.
“These kids were tortured,” Thomas Hallett, attorney for the former detainees, said in an interview Monday.
Hallett has represented former Long Creek detainees for years and said it became apparent to him that conduct inside the facility had been widespread and affected many kids. He started following up with clients and acquaintances, connecting one dot to another, until he had put together a group of seriously harmed individuals.
“My perspective is that this needs to come to a head,” Hallett said. “Their lives have been totally and irreparably upended.” Most of his clients can’t hold a job, don’t have housing and struggle to function in society, consequences that he said are directly related to their treatment at the center.
Hallett pointed to similar litigation in New Hampshire and Los Angeles, both of which have resulted in massive financial settlements. New Hampshire’s youth correctional center has been the subject of both criminal charges and civil suits, and the state has spent more than $239 million over the past four years paying victims who have brought forward allegations of abuse.
The Long Creek lawsuit names the Department of Corrections and 57 individuals who worked at the facility at the time. It raises 102 different legal claims relevant to state, federal and constitutional law, including violations related to due process and cruel and unusual punishment, deliberate indifference in violation of Maine’s Constitution, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Jill O’Brien, spokesperson for the Department of Corrections, couldn’t comment on pending litigation but said in a statement, “Long Creek’s committed staff and volunteers strive to help youth succeed, by offering secondary and post-secondary education, substance use disorder treatment, workforce development, enrichment opportunities, and comprehensive medical and mental health services for all residents.”
Plaintiffs are asking for the Department of Corrections to be prevented from committing any further constitutional violations, and for unspecified financial damages.
This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Riley Board can be reached at [email protected].
