Tuesday, October 21, 2003

Youth center chief steps aside during probe

By GREGORY D. KESICH, Portland Press Herald Writer

Lars Olsen, superintendent of Long Creek Youth Development Center, was removed from his post Monday while the state conducts an independent investigation of manage- ment at Maine's largest juvenile corrections facility.

After meeting with Commissioner of Corrections Martin Magnusson late Monday afternoon, Olsen reportedly agreed to be reassigned to the department's central office in Augusta. Olsen could not be reached for comment.

Olsen has been the focus of attention since documents in a pending lawsuit showed that he was one of several state officials who approved of isolating and shackling a teenage resident for periods that far exceeded the department's policies. Gov. John E. Baldacci ordered an internal investigation of the charges on Oct. 14. A day later, Long Creek's largest union called for a no-confidence vote on Olsen and other senior managers.

Deputy Superintendent Robert Lancaster and senior psychologist Barbara Heath were also identified in the lawsuit and are alleged to have approved of excessive isolation and restraint. Neither has been reassigned.

State officials will name an interim superintendent today. An outside examiner will also be named, said Baldacci's spokesman, Lee Umphrey.

Magnusson and Olsen decided it would be better for Olsen to step aside during the management review, said Denise Lord, the Department of Corrections spokeswoman.

"There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing," Lord said. "We thought it would be a good opportunity to pull Lars out and give everybody a breather."

Baldacci received a preliminary report on the youth center last week and met with Magnusson on Friday. Baldacci encouraged Olsen's removal, Umphrey said.

"The governor thought that while we are assessing the management, it's the best thing to do - to reassign Mr. Olsen so we can better gauge the management at the center," Umphrey said. "I think that the governor saw that there are clearly some problems, and without blaming one person, he thought it best to make this change and find a solution."

Umphrey said the review did not look at issues covered in the lawsuit. It considered a broader range of questions, including the current management situation at Long Creek.

"He is concerned about young people there and wants to ensure that the center is doing what it's supposed to do," Umphrey said.

Lord said it was not yet decided what Olsen would do while working in Augusta. She stressed that the move is temporary and for no definite period.

Olsen took over as interim superintendent of what was then called the Maine Youth Center in 1998, when the South Portland institution was plagued by overcrowding, poor staff morale and lack of funding. Amnesty International, the human rights advocacy group, targeted it for action because of excessive use of force, isolation and restraint, symbolized by a metal and plastic chair with Velcro straps used to tie down residents.

Olsen presided over ambitious reforms of juvenile corrections in which the state spent $34 million on new buildings without isolation cells and worked to change the institution's prison-like culture. The restraint chair was put in storage.

But court documents released this month showed that Olsen and other top administrators at the youth center approved of the severe treatment of at least one youth center resident. Olsen signed papers permitting staff to keep a teenager named Michael T. in solitary confinement for weeks on end, exceeding the youth center's maximum isolation of 72 hours.

The policy allows for the maximum period to be extended, but the lawsuit alleges youth center officials did not meet their own standards to extend.

As a result of his treatment, Michael T. claims he engaged in self-mutilation and suicide attempts and developed permanent mental disorders.

Olsen's departure will not affect the union representing most front-line staff members at Long Creek, which is in the middle of a no-confidence vote against senior management and has been working without a contract since July.

"Our vote goes on," said Steve Farrell, the union's co-chairman.

Farrell said that with Olsen's work to end the overuse of restraint and isolation, it is ironic that he should be criticized for approving those practices.

"Lars Olsen is far from an abusive person," Farrell said. "Our issues (with him) are about working conditions and health and safety. . . . The courts will decide (questions of abuse) ultimately."

Staff Writer Gregory D. Kesich can be contacted at 791-6336 or at:

gkesich@pressherald.com

Back to Long Creek Articles