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 But we believe our overburdened, outdated justice system is the state’s scarlet letter.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