SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — Staff members at Long Creek Youth Development Center are pleading for help from the Maine Department of Corrections.
Union workers at Long Creek sent a letter to the DOC addressing "dire safety and security concerns." It's the most recent push for change after staff have been raising concerns about the facility's operations for years.
The letter cites chronic staffing and scheduling issues, unsafe working conditions, and declining recruitment and retention as some of the issues plaguing the facility over the past four years.
"We have raised these concerns, outlined several remedies, and have pleaded for help from the facility's administration and the Department of Corrections on numerous occasions, yet we have seen no measurable response," the letter from MSEA-SEIU Local 1989, representing 41 staff at Long Creek, stated.
In the final three months of 2023, there was an average of 10 assaults per month, according to the letter. Those numbers include residents assaulting others or youth assaulting staff members.
"When the Department of Corrections allow these issues to go on without adequate response, you are allowing for more problems to develop for the disadvantaged youth and your staff, who work in constant crisis," the letter said.
Workers said they need consistent shift schedules and they want the DOC to restore staff positions that have been cut, among other requests to ensure the facility is safe for both residents and staff.
"The theme is the same. Some people fear going into work. They don't know when the next time there will be an outbreak of violence," Jonathan Brown with the Maine Service Employees Association with Local 1989 of the Service Employees International Union, said. "They are doing the best with what they have, but they need more support and they need more boots on the ground."
After sending the letter to the DOC on Feb. 2, the DOC Commissioner has agreed to set up a meeting with the union. However, nearly two months later, workers want more immediate action.
Samuel Prawer, the director of government affairs with the Maine DOC, sent NEWS CENTER Maine a statement reading in part:
"Upon receiving this letter, the commissioner reached out to the union’s representative to set up a meeting with the employees at Long Creek Youth Development Center who are represented by the union to provide an opportunity for an open conversation about what the department is doing and how it can continue to meet the needs of those employees moving forward. We are hopeful that the meeting will be productive and assist in our continuing efforts to ensure that Long Creek is optimally positioned to achieve its rehabilitative mission."
Prawer said while the department has taken steps to improve recruitment and retention, the department "fully understands the need to further address these staffing shortages."
"It feels that the department has been pushing this issue off, and we just really want to make sure that they act quickly on this because staff are in need. The kids are in need right now," Brown said.
As of Wednesday, the DOC and the union have not solidified a date for their meeting to discuss these concerns.
NEWS CENTER Maine's recent reporting showed that understaffing has been a prominent issue at the center, negatively impacting the youth that reside there. According to documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, there had been several dozen times in 2022 when a resident had either attempted to or actually hurt themselves. Documents also showed internal emails of staff wondering if the staffing issues will ever be resolved.