I have been in Long Creek Youth Development Center five different times growing up, and every single time I felt completely stuck. I was not getting real education, I was not learning about the real world, and I was not building any of the skills I needed for life outside. At 14, 15, and 16, being in Long Creek held me back in ways people do not understand. If it affected me that much as a teenager, imagine being kept there until you are 25. That would destroy young adults futures.

Another thing people do not understand is what really goes on inside Long Creek. It is not some calm place where everyone is working on themselves. There are fights, bullying, and tension every single day. I have seen riots break out, units get shut down, and kids jumping each other over the smallest things just because everyone is stressed and angry and bored. You have 12 and 13 year olds in there mixed with older teens who are all dealing with their own trauma and emotions. It creates a dangerous environment where you always have to watch your back. When you live like that, you never feel safe, you never relax, and you definitely do not grow. If being in that environment at 14, 15, or 16 already messes with your mental health, imagine being stuck in it until 25. That would destroy people mentally and emotionally. No young adult should be spending the most important years of their life surrounded by violence and chaos instead of being out in the real world learning how to become independent.

I know I am not the only one who felt like this. A lot of people who have been in Long Creek will tell you the same thing. Long Creek is supposed to be about rehabilitation and helping youth grow, but the truth is it does not prepare anyone for real life. Keeping young people locked up there until 25 will not help them. It will stop them from getting jobs, learning responsibilities, fixing relationships, and building a life.

Another thing I want to bring up is Long Creek’s SMU unit. They call it “Special Management,” but everyone who has been there knows it is really solitary confinement. I have been in SMU multiple times before, and one of those times I went in without a shirt. I was not given a shirt for three days straight, until I had a court date and they needed me to look presentable. You are supposed to get one hour out of your room every 24 hours, but in those days I did not get even one hour out. No shower. No phone call. No basic time out. You also do not get a blanket or a pillow in there. You use whatever you can find for warmth and comfort, which most of the time & was in my case ,  is nothing. I am only mentioning this here because it shows the kind of environment youth are already experiencing. This petition is not about stopping solitary confinement, but I will be speaking out about that next, because I do not think the United States should allow solitary confinement in youth facilities at all.

Something else people do not think about is what holidays are like in there. In 2023, on Christmas, I only came out of my cell for 2-3 hours the whole day because there were not enough workers willing to come in. I got a “present bag” of toothpaste & a toothbrush , some pants & candy. That is not something most people on the outside ever have to think about. But inside Long Creek it happens all the time. Kids sit in their rooms on Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, and every other holiday while the rest of the world is celebrating with family. They do not get time out, they do not get real support, and they do not even get treated like human beings. All because the facility is short staffed or workers do not want to come in. That does something to you. It makes you feel forgotten, trapped, and like you do not matter. No 14-year-old should feel that way. And definitely no 25-year-old should still be living like that. Keeping youth until 25 means more lost holidays, more empty days, and more mental damage for people who deserve a chance at a real life.

Instead of keeping youth locked up longer, Maine should invest in real programs that actually help young adults. Things like community support, real education, job training, mentors, and mental health help. Programs like that have helped people all over the country stay out of the system and build real lives. Long Creek cannot do that by holding people even longer.

Please sign this petition to tell Maine lawmakers not to keep youth at Long Creek until the age of 25. Young adults need a chance to grow in the real world, not more time behind walls that do not prepare them for life. Our future generation deserves better and your signature can help make that change happen.