Title

"Cover Story" piece on bomb threats in Maine schools during the last school year

Authors

Lee Burnett

Source

Maine Times

Date

6-1-2000

Pages

4-8

Abstract

"Cover Story" piece on bomb threats in Maine schools during the last school year; the disruption they cause; the ensuing social and academic isolation of culprits who are caught; and the nonchalance and cluelessness of some of the threats, which might suggest that authorities are overreacting. The state and most schools don't have a bomb threat evaluation policy, and there's a widespread feeling that schools are being held hostage by juveniles. Often threats are made on impulse by youths with clean records and stable homes. While sanctions are getting heavier, some observers, like Cumberland County sheriff Mark Dion, Portland police chief Michael Chitwood, and Portland defense attorney Ned Chester, question their effectiveness and the knee-jerk evacuations of schools. With comments from young offenders, details on Livermore Falls High School's low-key approach, and a description of "restorative justice," one approach that might prove an effective deterrent. New Zealand refers all its juvenile cases to restorative justice boards and prosecutes only 5 percent of them.

Subjects

Bomb threats, Juvenile delinquents and delinquency

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