A Boston-based GLBTQ advocacy group is pressing the Maine Department of Corrections to release the results of a recent audit of the Long Creek Youth Development Center.
In September, a team of experts from the Center for Children’s Law and Policy visited Long Creek to review a range of policies and practices at the South Portland facility. The assessment follows the suicide of a transgender teen last year and the resignation of the former superintendent.
Polly Crozier of Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders says she filed a request under Maine’s Freedom of Access Act to ensure that the report is made public.
“Well, I think the assessment was really a good step to understand on a deep level everything that’s happening at Long Creek. So I’m hoping that the report will provide greater understanding and transparency into what’s happening there so we can try to resolve some of the issues,” she says.
Corrections Commissioner Dr. Joseph Fitzpatrick told Maine Public Radio that the report will be made public. He says the only reason it hasn’t been released yet is because of significant factual errors in the draft.
