The head of Maine’s only youth prison stepped down from her post on Friday, the Maine Department of Corrections announced.
Lynne Allen, superintendent of Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland, left the post for personal reasons, according to the department. She has filled the role since January 2022.
Department of Corrections Commissioner Randall Liberty appointed Deputy Superintendent Ryan Andersen as acting superintendent for Long Creek while the state seeks a permanent replacement for Allen.
Liberty said the department will conduct an extensive search in the coming weeks.
“We are grateful for Lynne’s dedication to serving justice involved youth in Maine and for her work at Long Creek,” Liberty said in a news release. “We are committed to providing an environment that protects public safety and effectively rehabilitates justice-involved youth so that they may reenter and contribute to society in a healthy, productive way.”
In recent months, conditions at Long Creek have been volatile, according to an examination co-published Feb. 1 by The New York Times and Bangor Daily News. At least three major incidents occurred, injuring one staff member. One involved a group of teenagers wielding broomsticks who got into an unauthorized part of the facility after stealing an employee’s key, said Mark Brunton, president of a union representing prison workers.
Understaffing has contributed to problems at Long Creek for years, including eruptions of violence. Since the pandemic, teens there have at times been restricted to their living units or cells because of a lack of employees to supervise them, limiting their access to programs and school.
BDN writer Erin Rhoda contributed to this story.