TDoR 2017 / 2016 / October / 29 / Charles Knowles


Charles Knowles

Age 16

29 Oct 2016
South Portland, Maine (USA)
Suicide

Charles Knowles
Charles Knowles [photo: www.mainepublic.org]

Charles died by suicide while incarcerated in a youth prison. Five years after his death, the Maine Department of Corrections paid to settle a wrongful death lawsuit by his mother.

The mother of a transgender teen who died by suicide while incarcerated at Maine’s youth prison nearly 4 1/2 years ago has settled a wrongful death lawsuit against the Maine Department of Corrections for $225,000.

Michelle Knowles of North Vassalboro sued the department in April in U.S. District Court in Portland, alleging that despite suicide threats and attempts, staff at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland showed deliberate indifference to the serious risk that her 16-year-old son would injure himself by placing him in a cell that was neither suicide-resistant nor free of protrusions.

Charles Maise Knowles was [assigned female at birth] but identified as male. Long Creek staff found him dead in his cell on Oct. 29, 2016. He had been incarcerated at the facility since Aug. 18, 2016.

His death sparked a series of investigations into conditions at Maine’s only juvenile prison and calls for the facility’s closure. The most recent report, issued earlier this month, showed that Long Creek has failed to address issues that have plagued the facility for years. It was the third time in four years that the Center for Children’s Law and Policy, based in Washington, D.C., has investigated the conditions there.

The latest report came at the urging of a watchdog group that sounded the alarm in September over violent incidents. The report urged the state to implement some of previous recommendations, namely hiring enough of the right staff to run a safe, humane prison.

https://www.centralmaine.com/2021/12/23/suit-settled-over-trans-teens-suicide-at-detention-center/

https://news.yahoo.com/mom-transgender-teen-died-long-010800764.html

https://ktar.com/story/4817556/suit-settled-over-trans-teens-suicide-at-detention-center/

https://bangordailynews.com/2021/12/23/news/mom-of-transgender-teen-who-died-at-long-creek-settles-lawsuit-with-state-for-225000xoasq1i29i/

https://apnews.com/article/lawsuits-maine-suicides-df87ad2cb28e5c16635260d8c3c09e09

https://www.startribune.com/suit-settled-over-trans-teens-suicide-at-detention-center/600129917/

https://www.pressherald.com/2021/12/23/suit-settled-over-trans-teens-suicide-at-detention-center/

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/suit-settled-trans-teens-suicide-detention-center-81918831

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/national/suit-settled-over/JWMPZBSRXZJWOQ5UFTUMZ25UO4/

https://news.yahoo.com/suit-settled-over-transgender-teens-234600255.html

https://www.the-journal.com/articles/suit-settled-over-trans-teens-suicide-at-detention-center/

https://web.archive.org/web/20211224134727/https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/crime/lawsuit-settled-over-transgender-teens-suicide-at-maine-detention-center-juvenile-law-enforcement/97-8f4d873e-0c15-4578-ae05-0e7cfbebbab1

https://web.archive.org/web/20211223202020/https://www.bgdailynews.com/news/national/suit-settled-over-trans-teens-suicide-at-detention-center/article_76de8420-9bdf-5aee-b35b-6577b14be7a7.html

https://www.pressherald.com/2016/11/15/transgender-teen-who-died-at-long-creek-denied-mental-health-treatment-mother-says/

Report added: 25 Dec 2021. Last updated: 30 Mar 2022

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This site contains reports of violence against transgender people, and links to detailed reports which contain graphic imagery.

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