Mountain View Youth Development Center

Mission Statement: Juvenile: The mission of the juvenile facilities is to provide treatment and services within a safe, secure environment that enables youth to develop pro-social skills and competencies promoting public safety by reducing the likelihood of re-offending.

Mission Statement: YAOP: The Young Adult Offender Program exists to serve incarcerated young adult male offenders 18-25, who require evidenced-based programs and services that are designed to meet individual risks and needs. We aspire to promote life-long skills that are focused on reducing the likelihood of reoffending, while encouraging pro-social thinking and behaviors, in a safe and secure environment

Overview: The Mountain View Youth Development Center, located in Charleston, Maine, is a 187-bed correctional facility that houses juvenile male offenders from 11-21 years of age committed to the Department of Corrections long term; and male and female offenders for detention holds prior to court adjudication. Mountain View serves the mid-northern Maine counties of Aroostook, Hancock, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, Waldo, and Washington. The facility has since been re-purposed into an adult-medium security facility, which provides therapeutic treatment for young adult male offenders, male offenders needing substance abuse and sex offender treatment. A unit will soon open to provide services for adult male offenders requiring assisted living care.

History: The original Northern Maine Juvenile Detention Facility opened in 1998, was constructed with 40 beds for detained juvenile offenders on the grounds of the Charleston Correctional Facility. This facility alleviated the northern and central county jails of holding juvenile offenders in adult county jails and/or transporting them to Southern Maine.  

In February 2002, in order to meet the demands of the rising rates of juvenile incarceration, the Maine Department of Corrections Juvenile Services expanded its services by building and reorganizing two new facilities; The Mountain View Youth Development Center in Charleston, and the Long Creek Youth Development Center built in So. Portland. Mountain View’s facility capacity expanded to beds to provide services for long-term commitments, alongside the detention beds. Committed juveniles were afforded the opportunity to continue their education through a unique alternative school that provided special education services, vocational programs in culinary, carpentry and small engine repairs. Professional staff offered therapeutic treatment, psychological and cognitive behavior therapies, along with religious, recreational and substance abuse services and 24 hour medical services.

In April 2014, while still serving a reduced juvenile population in one unit of the facility, services were expanded to open a new program for committeed Young Adult Male Offenders ages 18-25 that could greatly benefit from the continued educational, therapeutic and substance abuse services that facility staff were already providing to juveniles. 

All young adults have an individualized Case Plan designed to address their specific risk and needs. They are required to complete their education requirements for High School Diplomas or GED/HiSET. They participate in programs for Aggression Replacement Therapy and Thinking for a Change; Family Violence programming, parenting skills, and vocational training in Culinary, Carpentry and Small Engines. These skills better prepare them for jobs after release; for transfer to minimum custody facilities where they can earn money in work-release programs, or provides eligibility for Supervised Community Confinement.

In July 2015, the mission and purposes of Mountain View were changed to meet the needs of a department-wide increasing adult population and a continued declining juvenile population by being converted into an adult treatment center. The Detention Unit remains to hold juveniles prior to court adjudication; and if committed, are now transferred to the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland to serve their sentences. The facility continues to serve the young adult offender population with programs and services aimed at reducing recidivism; and has added an adult population of prisoners needing rehabilitative programming for substance abuse services. In September 2015, adult sex offenders were added to the facility programming. Plans are underway now to incorporate an assisted living unit to facilitate those inmates with special medical needs/physical restrictions. 

Weekly visits are scheduled as below

Juveniles for Immediate family only	Adults
Thursday      6:00 pm to 8 pm	Wednesday  6:00 pm to 8 pm
Saturday       8:30 am to 10:30 am	Saturday      12:30 pm to 2:30 pm
Sunday         12:30 pm to 2:30 pm	Sunday         8:30 am to 10:30 am

Shared Resources:   Mountain View Youth Development Center has continually shared many of its staffing resources with the adult male Charleston Correctional Facility located on the same complex. Business, Human Resource, Staff Development and Training; Food services; Grounds and Building Maintenance; Vehicle Fleet Management; Warehouse, Investigative, Perimeter checks and K-9 services.

Achievements/Awards:                     

• The Barbara Allen-Hagen Performance-based Standards Excellence Award was awarded to Mountain View in 2007, for outstanding and exemplary work in ensuring safety for residents and staff. Maine’s two juvenile facilities were among the highest performers in the nation in PbS.
• Mountain View was the first juvenile correctional facility in the nation to participate in Collaborative Problem Solving Model designed by clinical child psychologist Ross W. Green Ph.D.; offering a new approach to handling challenging and explosive behavior in children and adolescents.
• Mountain View set an example for professionalism in evidence-based practices and rehabilitation success for juveniles among the states nationally; and is frequently contacted by other states.  
• Both Mountain View and Charleston Correctional Facilities are in full compliance with PREA standards (Prison Rape Emergency Response).
• Mountain View and Charleston Correctional Facilities achieved Accreditation in 2006, by the American Correctional Association professional standards by earning 100%; and have achieved Re-Accreditation in 2009, 2012, and 2015.

Volunteer Services:   Mountain View has an extensive volunteer and mentoring program with 45+ persons coming into the facility to provide various services for juvenile and young adult offenders. Volunteers are an intricate part of the rehabilitation process, whether contributing their time on a regular basis, or more occasionally. They spend time in the facility providing instructions in various things; religious services, pet therapy, mentoring, teaching fly fishing and fly tying, meditation, educational programming, and life skills classes.   

Individuals interested in volunteering submit an application and once approved attend Orientation Training (approx. 4 hours) prior to entrance into the facility.

Employment at MVYDC:    Mountain View Youth Development Center offers many professional positions with career advancement with a comprehensive benefit package. Current vacancies are available on the State of Maine Department of Corrections website.

Board of Visitors: An advisory group of Board of Visitors is appointed by the Governor for MVYDC and CCF. Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of every other month in the administraton conference room from 4 pm to 5:30 pm. The public is invited to any of these meetings, which are noticed in the local paper.

Scheduled dates for 2016 will be: Tuesday, April 12, 2016, June 14, 2016, August 9, 2016, October 11, 2016 and December 13, 2016.