SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — The head of Maine's only youth prison has resigned.
Lynne Allen served as superintendent of the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland for about two years. She stepped down Friday for personal reasons, according to state officials.
"We are grateful for Lynne’s dedication to serving justice involved youth in Maine and for her work at Long Creek," Randy Liberty, commissioner of the Maine Department of Corrections, said in a statement. "We wish her all the best in her future and look forward to conducting an extensive search to find the best candidate for superintendent to lead Long Creek into the future. We are committed to providing an environment that protects public safety and effectively rehabilitates justice-involved youth so that they may reenter and contribute to society in a healthy, productive way."
Attempts to reach Allen were not successful Monday.
Liberty appointed Deputy Superintendent Ryan Andersen as acting superintendent while the department conducts a search to replace Allen.
Long Creek is one of the few remaining youth prisons in the country, as officials have sought to rehabilitate children convicted of crimes through alternative programs in recent years. The number of incarcerated youth declined from about 108,000 in 2000 to about 25,000 in 2020, according to the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Maine lawmakers in 2021 voted to close Long Creek, but Gov. Janet Mills, a former attorney general, vetoed the measure.
Long Creek has been plagued by staffing shortages and there have been dozens of recent reports of children attempting to harm themselves or fighting with each other, according to a NEWS CENTER Maine report earlier this month.