Due Process: Inside Maine’s County Courthouses

ABOUT THIS SERIES

Seven months ago, The Maine Monitor set out to determine whether Maine’s county court system was fair and consistent from one part of the state to another. Would someone convicted of a crime in Aroostook County get the same sentence as someone in York County? What seemed like a simple question turned out to be complicated by a lack of consistent data, elected district attorneys with different approaches to justice and programs that have proven to be successful for some but unavailable to others.

We examine the criminal justice system at a time when there’s appetite for major change. With a low crime rate and relatively few violent crimes, Maine could become a place for innovation when it comes to the treatment of those with mental illness, substance use disorder or trauma that sometimes leads to crime. Our series looks at the system – successes and failures – to test whether defendants and victims can rely on it to give them due process.

Due Process: In Review

by Susan Cover | August 23, 2020

Five key findings from The Maine Monitor’s months-long investigation into the state’s county court system.

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Maine lawmakers to consider 15 criminal justice bills

by Susan Cover | Jan 16, 2020

Bail reform and making substance use disorder treatment available to Maine’s incarcerated population are among 15 criminal justice bills to be considered this legislative session.

Due process? A court system in the crosshairs

by Susan Cover | Jan 16, 2020

A lack of consistent data, district attorneys with differing agendas and inconsistencies with services offered around the state have many pushing for reforms to Maine’s court system.

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Authors & Contributors

Ryan David Brown

Susan Cover

Susan Cover has been a journalist for 24 years, working at newspapers in Kansas, Rhode Island, Ohio and Maine. In 2002, Susan moved to Maine to cover state government and spent 10 years in the Statehouse Bureau working for the Kennebec Journal. She covered state budgets, hundreds of bills, and referenda campaigns including bear baiting and marriage equality. In 2013, Susan was promoted to city editor at the Kennebec Journal, leading a team of reporters and photographers to put out each day’s paper. Susan is a graduate of Muskingum University in Ohio and has a master’s degree in newspaper journalism from Syracuse University. Most recently, Susan left daily newspaper journalism to pursue freelance writing and her other passion – taking run-down houses in Kennebec County and bringing them back to life. She lives in Augusta with her partner and their pets – Piper the cat and Wooley the dog.

Julie Pike

After graduating from the University of Southern Maine in 2019, where Julie was editor-in-chief of the Free Press, the student newspaper, Julie switched career paths to become a paralegal. She currently works for Terry Garmey & Associates, a personal injury law firm in Portland, Maine, but she is thankful for the opportunity to keep her journalism roots through her work with the Maine Monitor.

Gabe Souza

An Emmy Award-winning cinematographer and photographer, Gabe spent five years on staff at the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram and has worked for a variety of editorial clients. Over the past 10 years, he has captured images in over 19 countries, spanning five continents. The first photographer to win the National Press Club Award, Gabe has a passion for telling compelling stories through images. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Denver Post, and many more publications. Gabe co-owns a 1985 BMW 325 race car named “Wilhelm,” has a borderline unhealthy obsession with coffee, and is determined to watch a game in every Major League Baseball ballpark before the age of 30. He has 3 years and 16 ballparks to go.

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