AUGUSTA - The Maine House of Representatives gave initial approval on Thursday to LD 1779, sponsored by Rep. Grayson Lookner, D-Portland. The bill would give law enforcement the option to refer youth who are believed to have committed a low-level juvenile crime to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services for a needs assessment. This assessment would identify the medical, educational and social services needed to promote child and family well-being, providing an alternative to entering Maine's juvenile justice system.
"We need to do a better job keeping youth out of harmful, punitive systems," said Lookner. "Incarceration ought to be one of the last resorts, not one of the first, when addressing youth in crisis. For far too long, our approach has been defined by a punitive mindset, casting our youth into a system that is ill-equipped to address the complex needs underlying their actions. This approach has not only perpetuated cycles of delinquency and incarceration, but has also betrayed our moral obligation to protect and nurture our youngest and often most vulnerable citizens."
The amended bill language states that if a law enforcement officer determines that youth who are believed to have committed a crime, but do not represent an immediate risk to public safety, may be diverted to trained behavioral health professionals for a strength-based needs assessment, with the consent of the child and their caregivers. This will better ensure that they receive the care and attention they need prior to, or as an alternative to, being placed at Long Creek Youth Development Center. Additionally, LD 1779 would create an implementation stakeholder group of experts to ensure that the program is rolled out efficiently and effectively.
The bill faces further votes in the House and Senate in the coming days.
Lookner is serving his second term in the Maine House of Representatives and is a member of the Legislature's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee and the Joint Select Committee on Housing. He represents House District 113, which includes part of Portland.
Contact:
Brian Lee [Lookner], c. 305-965-2744