Maine news, sports, weather from Waterville Morning Sentinel

The desperate act of a self-destructive system

Moved by news of Dennis Dechaine's attempted suicide, I've just studied that part of Maine law that pertains to "trafficking in prison contraband."

It's clear that Knox County (and AG's office?) officials are risking mental dislocation in their over-reaching attempts to stifle the growing awareness of the injustices visited upon MSP inmate #1725 by responding to his suicide attempt with an indictment for criminal possession of prescription drugs.

Forget the lawyers with their jargon and the bureaucrats their stone walls. In the court of public opinion, it's finally the straight face test that must be met.

Try and keep one here:

* While the indictment uses the inflammatory word "trafficking," the only drugs found were in Dechaine's blood stream. There were none in his cell or on his person.

* After 22 years of frustrated effort to present DNA and other new evidence of his innocence in a new jury trial, Dechaine's desperate but "reasonable response to an intolerable situation" (his words) is being twisted to conform to a section of the law code (Maine Revised Statutes Title 17-A, Part 2, Chapter 31, Section 756) whose heading, ironically, is "Aiding escape."

* Even though Dechaine is working out two hours a day and is reinvigorated, he is being kept in solitary confinement indefinitely, presumably because he is a risk to himself.

* Anyone who has visited prisoners knows how difficult it would be to smuggle in drugs. Likely Dechaine obtained them from prison staff, yet he is the only one being charged.

* Why go to the trouble and expense of trying to convict someone who is already serving a life sentence without parole?

Why, indeed. Unless it is the equally desperate act of a justice system trying to destroy itself.

Bernie Huebner

Waterville