Colter Cross is currently incarcerated at Maine State Prison and serving a 15-month sentence. Through years of repeated contact with Maine’s criminal courts, he has witnessed the effects of an overburdened and under-resourced public defender system. Writing from inside, he documents how these systemic failures undermine constitutional rights and destabilize families across the state. By Margaret Adams Parker, 1988 I want to start off by introducing myself. My name is Colter C

Resident Darren McKenzie (right) and Jesse Mackin water tomato plants on the grounds of the Mountain View Correctional Facility’s garden in Charleston in June 2021 Maine is one of 16 states that has abolished or severely limited parole. It's the only state in the Northeast to do so. Different from probation, which is part of someone's sentence, parole is the conditional, supervised release of a prisoner into the community before a sentence is completed. Four years ago, a stat

Recently, an organization we are working with, No Penobscot County Jail Expansion , held a press conference making their case for the establishment of diversion programs as an alternative to the construction of a new county jail. BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - While Penobscot County works on plans to relocate the jail from Bangor to Hampden, a local group has formed to offer an alternative. Hoping to keep folks out of jail rather than expand the number of beds, local activists have c

The referendum question would require voters to show IDs that prisoners currently can’t have. Photo by Gabe Souza. MAINE, USA — Some civil rights advocates are worried that Question 1 on next month’s referendum ballot could block incarcerated people’s right to vote. The coalition Voter ID for ME successfully petitioned through a citizen initiative to put the proposed legislation on the November 4 ballot. Question 1 asks voters to consider requiring photo identification to vot

There is now a growing movement in New York State and throughout the country for criminal  justice reforms that will reverse a decades...

The following is a testimony given by Frank Zarro before the Maine legislature in April 2025 Dear Senator Beebee-Center, Representative...

The following was a virtual talk given by Frank Zarro for the End Mass Incarceration event. The American justice system is an $80 Billion...