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Maine Prison System’s Board of Visitors: Secret, Unaccountable and Co-Opted
Loaded on Feb. 15, 2010
by Lance Tapley
published in Prison Legal News
February, 2010, page 26
The state prison in Warren has been hammered in recent months by a prisoner murder and other violence, a prisoner hunger strike, legislative investigations exposing mismanagement and poor guard morale, and a request by human-rights groups for a federal probe of prisoner mistreatment. Most recently, the state Corrections commissioner, Martin …
Filed under:
Misconduct/Corruption,
Government Misconduct,
Interviews,
Totality of Conditions.
Location:
Maine.
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More from this issue:
- Swine Flu Widespread in Prisons and Jails, but Deaths are Few, by David Reutter
- Ineffective Attempts to Protect Texas Prisoner Were Sufficient
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Preventable Sacramento County Jail Death Costs Taxpayers $1.45 Million, by David Reutter
- Free Rent for Some Washington State Parolees
- A New Look at a Very Old Subject: The Uniform Collateral Consequences of Conviction Act, by Margaret Colgate Love
- Arkansas Prisoner Awarded $625 for Refusing to Clean His Cell on the Sabbath
- Three Years Later, CMS Still Fails to Meet Medical Standards in Delaware, by David Reutter
- Army Prisoners Isolated, Denied Right to Legal Counsel, by Dahr Jamail
- Freedom Forum CEO Charles Overby’s Dark History with Corrections Corporation of America, by Beau Hodai
- Three Florida Guards Charged in Prisoner’s Beating, by David Reutter
- Washington State Makes Work Release Available to Disabled Prisoners; Monetary Payments to Class Members
- Federal Judge Holds Texas Parole Board Coleman Hearings Unconstitutional, by Matthew Clarke
- $6,000 Settlement in Illegal Arrest of Washington State Probationer
- Denial of Medical Care Causes Two Riots at GEO Group Texas Prison, by Matthew Clarke
- Special Treatment for Jewish Prisoners, Rappers Leads to Employee Discipline, Resignations at New York Jails, by Gary Hunter
- Maine Prison System’s Board of Visitors: Secret, Unaccountable and Co-Opted, by Lance Tapley
- Rikers Guards Charged With Using Juvenile Prisoners to Run Extortion Ring, by Gary Hunter
- Maryland: Parole Supervision Fee Likely Does More Harm than Good, by Bob Williams
- Homelessness a Significant Problem for Released Prisoners, by John Dannenberg
- Department of Justice Releases Arrest-Related Death Statistics, by Matthew Clarke
- Arizona Prisoner, Abandoned in Outdoor Cage, Bakes to Death, by Gary Hunter
- Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board Member Brags About Bias
- Prison Supervisors Can be Liable for Guard’s Sexual Abuse, by David Reutter
- False Sense of Security: The Real Cost And Benefits Of The Adam Walsh Act, by Brandon Sample
- One of Every 11 Prisoners Now Serving Life Sentence, by Bob Williams
- Wisconsin Enacts New Early Release Law, by Matthew Clarke
- California Parents and Guardians Assessed Fees to Offset Juvenile Detention Costs, by Michael Brodheim
- $245,000 Settlement in Michigan Jail Prisoner’s Death
- $325,000 Settlement in Michigan Jail Prisoner’s Ruptured Appendix Lawsuit
- Unprovoked Texas Cattle Prod Shocking More Than De Minimis Injury, Case Settles for $20,000, by Matthew Clarke
- PLN Prevails in Connecticut FOI Case; City Appeals, by Alex Friedmann
- Ohio Inspector General Finds Wrongful Acts by Prison System’s Assistant Director, by Matthew Clarke
- Judge Enjoins Collection of Cost of Incarceration Fees From Federal Prisoner in Washington State Prison
- Settlement in Idaho Jail Condition Class-Action Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- $2.1 Million Award in Excessive Force Death of California Prisoner
- Wyoming’s Prison Industry Mushroom Farm Sold at Auction, by Matthew Clarke
- Settlement Promises Improvements at Baltimore City Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Jury Awards $6,500 to California Prisoner for Negligence, Deliberate Indifference by Doctor
- Tenth Circuit: Dismissal of Prison Newsletter Censorship Case Reversed in Part
- Ineligible Texas Prisoners Receive Federal Stimulus Checks, by Jimmy Franks
- Exposure to Freezing Cold More than De Minimis in Texas Retaliation Case
- Head of California’s Prison System Arrested for Drunk Driving
- $50,000 Awarded to Florida Prisoner in Excessive Force Case
- Eighth Circuit Upholds $1,500 Award for Failure to Provide Kosher Diet; Grooming Restrictions Also Upheld
- Remedial Sanctions Denied in Wisconsin Class-Action Jail Suit, by Jimmy Franks
- Third-Party Calling Disconnects at Jail Net $1.25 Million Settlement; Customers Get Nothing
- Alabama Ends Policy Barring HIV+ Prisoners from Work Release
- News in Brief:
- Failure to Raise Issue in Rule 50 Motion Prohibits Argument on Appeal; $214,000 Verdict Upheld
- Four-Year Statute of Limitations Applies to § 1983 Claims Filed in Florida
More from Lance Tapley:
- “Natural Causes Killed Victor: A Death in Solitary,” a folk opera by George Swanson (DVD, 55 minutes), Jan. 10, 2017
- Bonnie Kerness: Pioneer in the Struggle Against Solitary Confinement, July 9, 2014
- No Death Penalty for Maine Prisoner, April 15, 2014
- A Rare Look Inside the Maine State Prison's "Supermax", March 15, 2014
- Prison Reforms Under Maine’s New DOC Commissioner, March 15, 2013
- Solitary Confinement: Bad for Chimps, Okay for Humans?, Oct. 15, 2012
- Reform Comes to Maine Supermax: New commissioner cuts population by more than half; prisoner rights advocates help in the reform, Sept. 15, 2011
- Texas Tough: The Rise of America’s Prison Empire, by Robert Perkinson, Metropolitan Books/Holt, 484 pp (October 2010), $20.00 paperback, May 15, 2011
- Maine Governor Rakes in Private Prison Money, Shows Appreciation, April 15, 2011
- Mass Torture in America: Notes from the Supermax Prisons, Feb. 15, 2011
More from these topics:
- Washington Governor Fires Independent Prison Watchdog, May 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Government Misconduct, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- New Hampshire Officials Halt $700 Million Prison Replacement, May 1, 2026. Cost of Prison Systems, Totality of Conditions, Plumbing, Sanitation, Vermin.
- Pennsylvania Closes Its Second-Oldest Prison, May 1, 2026. Cost of Prison Systems, Totality of Conditions, Boot Camps, Plumbing, Reduction of Prison Population.
- Oklahoma DOC Paid Prison Guards $35.5 Million in Overtime in 2025, May 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Cost of Prison Systems, Totality of Conditions, Staffing, Staff Training.
- Trump Wants $152 Million to Turn Alcatraz Back Into a Prison, May 1, 2026. Cost of Prison Systems, Totality of Conditions, Federal Legislation, Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
- Connecticut Correction Ombuds Finds DOC in “Sustained Institutional Failure”, May 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Totality of Conditions, Lockdowns, Prisoner Legal Assistance.
- Arrests of Unhoused People Driving Albuquerque Jail Bookings, May 1, 2026. Government Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Jail Specific, housing, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration.
- The Cells Inside ‘One of the Most Archaic Prisons in the United States’, April 1, 2026. Totality of Conditions, Plumbing, Sewage, Shelter, Vermin.
- “Large Fight” Broke Out at Alaska Prison After Downsizing Effort, April 1, 2026. Transfers, Cost of Prison Systems, Totality of Conditions, Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding.
- California Spends $300 Million Each Year Incarcerating Senior Citizens in Women’s Prisons, April 1, 2026. Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Totality of Conditions, Parole, Life without Parole (LWOP), Americans with Disabilities Act.

