The greatest crime of all in a civilized society is an unjust conviction. It is truly a scandal that reflects unfavorably on all participants in the criminal justice system. — The New York Appellate Division, First Department, People v. Ramos, 1994. Sketch of a seated man (c. 1901 - 1907) by Franz Kafka There’s a dark story unfolding in the state of Maine. Many Mainers know something about it, but few appreciate its full extent. Lots of people in our state have heard of Denni

Saratoga Springs is the wealthiest city in the Capital Region of New York State and, predictably, has a high cost of living. The problem is that the city’s higher-than-average income is not evenly spread across professions and economic classes.

We originally published the piece below several years ago, at a moment when concern about the Supreme Court’s politicization was becoming harder to ignore. It focused on a part of the Court’s power that receives far less attention than its final rulings: its ability to decide which cases it hears, and when.

Credit: Leela Stockley / BDN Composite; Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN; Documents via Penobscot County commissioner's office On March 24, No Penobscot County Jail Expansion held a community classroom about the proposal for a larger jail in Penobscot County. Speakers argued that incarceration does not improve long-term public safety because it often fails to address root causes such as addiction, poverty, and mental illness. Read the full piece in Bangor Daily News .

Today marks 63 years since the landmark Supreme Court decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, which guarantees the effective assistance of counsel for low-income people as a matter of constitutional right. It is worth taking stock of how far we have come and how far we have not. While lawyers and lawmakers around the country mark this structural constitutional landmark, the Maine Legislature this month voted on an appropriation request to fund Maine’s already inadequate and failed

The integrity of a legal system is a single, interconnected web. When one strand breaks, the entire structure of justice collapses. Maine’s system is failing because we lack four essential pillars of a fair and just criminal justice system: constitutionally effective legal representation for all criminal defendants, a meaningful path to earned release through parole, formal prison oversight with real accountability and the ability for rehabilitated individuals to clear their

Penobscot County Jail. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik/BDN Maine has a reputation for being a caring state, a fact many are proud of. But we believe our overburdened, outdated justice system is the state’s scarlet letter. We need to begin confronting these issues with care and understanding, not punishment. And now, we have a way to do it. Penobscot County Commissioners and other officials have been urging the construction of a new jail in Penobscot County for some time. The exi

Content warning: mentions of sexual assault Police officers escorting two protesters at a Gay Liberation Front demonstration in New York City (June, 1971) June is pride month, meaning across the country, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans are celebrating their community, history and culture. Recent trends and events, though, have been a sobering reminder that although the LGBT community has made great social and legal progress throughout the years, there is sti