Work in progress

A year ago, the operative phrase for the Maine Youth Center was “woefully inadequate.” Now, it’s “substantial improvement.” The next step, if Maine lawmakers can nurture the nonpartisan, cooperative spirit that got the South Portland juvenile corrections facility this far, could — and should — be “national model.”

The dreadful conditions at MYC, the prison-like warehousing of young offenders, first got worldwide attention in 1998 with a scathing indictment by Amnesty International. That led to site visits by Republican and Democratic legislative leaders, all of whom came away thoroughly appalled at what they saw. That led to the hiring of Edward Loughlin, a nationally recognized expert in juvenile corrections, to review the center, its practices and services, which led to a February 1999 report with an assessment of woefully inadequate and a 30-point plan for improvement.

Now, Mr. Loughlin has issued his follow-up report, the one noting substantial improvement. In between the two reports, though, something notable occurred: the Department of Corrections, Gov. King and legislators of both parties worked together, without rancor and with a minimum of finger-pointing, to address each of those 30 points in a thoughtful, logical way. The best part is the greatly increased likelihood that young offenders will come out of MYC in better shape than they went in; the proof that Maine government, if all parties are willing, can tackle seemingly intractable problems is a bonus.

The improvements cited by Mr. Loughlin are significant: The use of isolation is down, the use of physical restraints almost eliminated; the education program now meets state standards, there are literacy and numeracy labs, a job skills program, even an experimental learning program developed by noted MIT scientist/educator Seymour Papert; a new assessment unit helps determine individual needs; a new Behavioral Health Services Team provides care and treatment for those with emotional or substance abuse problems.

None of this would have been done had not lawmakers increased the MYC budget increased from $10.3 million a few years ago to $13.4 million this year, reversing the trend of reduced or, at best, flat budgetting that began in the early 1990s. Lawmakers provided the means; the Department of Corrections deserves praise for producing results.

More remains to be done, of course. Mr. Loughlin cited as remaining deficiencies such things as low staff levels, low staff morale and high staff turnover; the need to create a “positive culture” of respect for and among the youths; the need for more programs specifically for girls, and, the toughest challenge of all, the need to get parents more involved in the rehabilitation of their children.

Though not mentioned in the Loughlin report, there is also the need for lawmakers to resist the urge to make MYC the setting for partisan warfare. At the start of this sorry episode, a group of Portland-area Democratic legislators, apparently unaware of the mess in their midst until Amnesty International pointed it out, tried to pin the blame on Gov. King. Now, they’re acknowledging the improvements but chastising the governor for not doing more. These legislators know the decline of MYC started long before Gov. King took office, they know how the budget process works, they should know their carping is not ringing true.

Gov. King says he hopes to see MYC become a national model for juvenile corrections. That’s a long way from international disgrace, but it’s doable. For lawmakers, getting it done is the difference between pulling together and picking each other apart.