LEWISTON, Maine - The Commissioner of Maine's Department of Corrections, Dr. Joseph Fitzpatrick, says the DOC is diligently reviewing its policies and protocols following the suicide of a transgender teen at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland.
In a press release issued Wednesday, about three weeks after the suicide, Fitzpatrick called the loss of 16-year-old Charles Knowles a tragedy.
Knowles' mother has said that her son didn't get adequate mental health treatment because he was a detainee, not a resident. Fitzpatrick says every young person at Long Creek receives comprehensive treatment services, and that state and federal experts will evaluate the youth center's programming on suicide prevention and transgender policies.
The commissioner says Knowles' death is a tragedy that has devastated Knowles' family and those at Long Creek.
