Maine is seeing a surge in involuntary committals — cases in which people are held for mental health issues against their will — that is changing how police do their jobs. The number of those committals has risen steadily in the past decade, from 344 in 2009 to 401 last year, an increase of nearly […]
kevin joyce
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Cumberland sheriff won't honor ICE hold requests beyond release date
PORTLAND (AP) — The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department is the first in Maine to reject requests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold prisoners in jail beyond their scheduled release. The Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/2xfdUXT) reported that Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce announced the decision in a Sept. 14 letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement […]
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Can’t incarcerate our way out of drug problem
Maine is at a crossroad. Jails across the state are overcrowded, and the cost to taxpayers to maintain them is skyrocketing. Often, though, people who sit in cells are not violent or hardened criminals. They are struggling with mental health issues or are one of the increasing number of Mainers struggling with addiction. Dealing with […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Sheriff: Former State Police chief admitted sexual abuse, attempted suicide
NEW GLOUCESTER — Andrew E. Demers, a former chief of the Maine State Police, admitted to detectives that he had unlawful sexual contact with a young member of his family, according to Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce. Joyce on Tuesday declined to discuss specifics of the alleged admission by Demers, 73, who was arrested Monday […]