Maine

Advocacy for survivors of sexual violence, their families, and friends, including a 24-hour crisis and support line, support groups, crisis intervention and information, and help finding other community resources. Support for survivors 24 hours a day. Advocates can go with survivors to the hospital or doctor’s office, to the police, or to court. It doesn’t matter when the violence happened. Advocates are also there to help families and friends.Community awareness-building and prevention education for all ages and audiences on a range of topics, including sexual violence prevention, sexual violence, sexual harassment, internet safety, and personal body safety.

Service area: Aroostook, Hancock and Washington Counties
Work with: Survivors of sexual assault and their loved ones
Services for survivors during incarceration include: Crisis intervention via the 24-hour hotline and by mail; hospital accompaniment during forensic exams; legal advocacy and court accompaniment for sexual assault cases; information; and referrals.
Services for survivors after release include: All of the above; individual short-term counseling; weekly support groups for survivors of sexual assault in Aroostook, Hancock and Washington Counties; and a reference library related to sexual assault and a variety of issues faced by women.
Services for loved ones include: Crisis intervention; short-term individual counseling; information; and referrals.
Fees: Free

Frannie Peabody Center is the largest community-based HIV/AIDS services organization in Maine, providing prevention services for at-risk groups and direct services for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Service area: Cumberland and York Counties
Work with: All people living with HIV/AIDS and those at risk of HIV infection
Services for survivors during incarceration include: HIV counseling and testing services; case management; information; and referrals for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Services for survivors after release include: HIV testing and counseling services, as well as a range of services for HIV+ clients including case management; housing assistance; supportive services; and referrals.
Services for loved ones include: HIV testing and counseling; information; and referrals.
Fees: Free
Additional information: Translation services are available.

HEAL is a grassroots, community-based organization that works to support those affected by HIV and educate and inform the public to prevent the spread of the virus.

For over 30 years, the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MECASA) has represented and served Maine’s ten sexual assault support centers. Maine’s sexual assault support centers provide a 24-hour statewide sexual assault crisis and support line; support groups; crisis intervention and information; support and advocacy for survivors of sexual assault and their families; advocacy for survivors who choose to seek medical attention, report to the police, or go through the criminal justice system; referrals to mental health professionals; and community and professional education programs for all ages.

Service area: Maine
Work with: Survivors of sexual assault and their loved ones, sexual assault programs, and allied professional groups
Services for survivors during incarceration include: Crisis intervention via the 24-hour hotline. See above for the other services provided by member organizations.
Services for survivors after release include: All of the above.
Services for loved ones include: All of the above.
Fees: Free
Additional Information: Other MECASA efforts include initiating and advocating for victim-centered public policy; providing support and assistance to the ten sexual assault support centers and serving as a liaison between the centers and our statewide and national partners; reducing common myths and misperceptions about sexual violence through building and sustaining public awareness; and providing expert training, statistics, and resources about sexual violence to organizations, groups, and individuals throughout the state.

Rape Response Services (RRS) offers free and confidential services to people affected at any time by sexual assault and stalking.

Service area: Penobscot and Piscataquis Counties
Work with: Survivors of rape, incest, childhood sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and stalking and their loved ones
Services for survivors during incarceration include: Crisis intervention via the 24-hour hotline, by email, and by mail; hospital accompaniment during forensic exams; legal advocacy and court accompaniment for sexual assault cases; information; and referrals.
Services for survivors after release include: All of the above and support/education groups for female and male survivors of rape, incest, and child sexual abuse. Contact the hotline for more information.
Services for loved ones include: All of the above.
Fees: Free

The Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Center’s mission is to lessen the trauma-related suffering of sexual assault and promote healing by guiding those affected by sexual violence toward survival through support, advocacy, education, and community collaboration.

Service area: Kennebec and Somerset Counties
Work with: Survivors of sexual assault and child sexual abuse and their loved ones
Services for survivors during incarceration include: Crisis intervention via the 24-hour hotline and by mail; hospital accompaniment during forensic exams; legal advocacy and court accompaniment for sexual assault cases; in-person, one-on-one support and support groups for survivors of sexual assault and child sexual abuse at county jails, Maine State Prison, and Central Maine Pre-Release Center; information; and referrals.
Services for survivors after release include: All of the above.
Services for loved ones include: Crisis intervention; education; support groups for non-offending parents of children who have been sexually abused; information; and referrals.
Fees: Free
Additional Information: The hotline is a call-back system, so callers to the hotline must have a call back number in order to speak with an advocate.

Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine (SARSSM), the state’s oldest and largest rape crisis center, was founded in 1973 to support survivors of sexual assault, their family, and friends, and to help eradicate sexual violence.

Service area: Cumberland and York Counties
Work with: Survivors of sexual assault, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment, and their loved ones.
Services for survivors during incarceration include: Crisis intervention via the 24-hour hotline or by mail; hospital accompaniment during forensic exams; legal advocacy and court accompaniment for sexual assault cases; in-person one-to-one support in correctional facilities, by arrangement; a confidential support group for women survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault at the Cumberland County Jail and York County Jail facilitated by SARSSM and the local domestic violence project; information; and referrals.
Services for survivors after release include: All of the above and support groups for adult survivors of child sexual assault, women survivors of adult sexual assault, and male survivors of adult and child sexual assault on a rotating basis.
Services for loved ones include: Crisis intervention and support via the 24-hour hotline; information; and referrals.
Fees: Free

Sexual Assault Support Services of Midcoast Maine (SASSMM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing advocacy and support to survivors, families, and concerned others affected by sexual assault, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment. SASSMM offers services to improve awareness and response by providing prevention, education, and risk reduction programs.

Service area: Eastern Cumberland, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, and Waldo Counties
Work with: Survivors of sexual assault, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment, and their loved ones
Services for survivors during incarceration include: Crisis intervention via the 24-hour hotlines and by mail; hospital accompaniment during forensic exams; in-person follow-up counseling, by arrangement; legal advocacy and court accompaniment for sexual assault cases; information; and referrals. Support groups may also be available, depending on need.
Services for survivors after release include: All of the above, and support groups for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse and adolescent/adult sexual assault, male survivors of sexual abuse and assault, and lesbian survivors of sexual abuse and assault; and legal assistance through a partnership with the Machigonne Project, which offers legal assistance in family law, housing, education, benefits, employment, and other civil legal issues.
Services for loved ones include: Crisis intervention; a support group for the non-offending parents of sexually abused children; information; and referrals.
Fees: Free
Additional Information: The hotline works on a call-back system. For those callers who are not able to receive incoming calls, the answer service will page an advocate and connect the two callers after the advocate is on the line, which may take a few minutes.

Wabanaki Mental Health Association (WMHA) was founded in 1996 and merged with Sweetser, a private, non-profit corporation. Wabanaki translated means “people of the dawn land” and refers to the federation of five Northeast Native American tribes- Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet, Micmac and Abanaki. Wabanaki provides high-quality, culturally-sensitive psychological and social services to a Native American population from Hancock, Penobscot, Piscataquis and parts of Washington Counties.

Service area: Northeastern Maine
Work with: Native Americans
Services for survivors during incarceration include: Information and referrals by phone and by mail.
Services for survivors after release include: All of the above; adult community integration services for Native American adults who experience complex mental health needs; targeted case management for Native American children and their families with complex mental health needs who are at-risk of losing their placement at home or in the community; HIV prevention, counseling, and testing; supported housing; and spirit support groups.
Services for loved ones include: HIV prevention, testing, and counseling; information; and referrals.
Fees: HIV services are free. Maine Care is accepted for case management.

Inmates who have been sexually assaulted and have exhausted the grievances process within the facility and would still like to appeal should direct their complaint (attaching a copy of the original grievance report) to the Office of the Commissioner, Maine Department of Corrections to the address above.

The Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic, a program of the University of Maine School of Law, is a small legal services provider in which clients are represented by third-year law students specially licensed by the state and federal courts to provide legal services to low-income clients. The student attorneys practice under the supervision of fully-licensed attorney faculty members.

The Clinic represents low-income individuals with legal cases in Southern Maine courts (Cumberland, and in parts of York, Sagadahoc, and Androscoggin Counties) for most kinds of civil, criminal, juvenile, and family law matters. The Clinic assists in civil cases including divorce, parental rights and responsibilities, general civil litigation, civil-rights litigation, and non-fee-generating tort litigation. The Clinic represents clients at both the trial and appellate levels. The Clinic asks clients to pay a $10 administrative fee. In some cases, clients may be asked to pay court and other significant costs. The Clinic does not otherwise charge for its services. The Clinic also represents clients in protection from abuse and harassment litigation in all service areas. Individuals qualify for our services when: their household gross income falls within the Clinic’s financial guidelines; the court is within the Clinic’s geographic service area; and the Clinic has openings for new clients. The Clinic does not provide legal advice or information over the phone and does not maintain a waiting list of potential clients. The Clinic cannot provide services on a walk-in basis.

The Maine Civil Liberties Union (MCLU) is a non-partisan organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of civil liberties and civil rights. MCLU handles prison-conditions cases. Direct representation by MCLU may be available in cases involving violations of constitutional rights. To request assistance, print out, complete, and mail in the intake form or write directly to the MCLU at the address above.

The Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) is a program of the State Bar of Maine. If you need information, staff will direct you at no charge to appropriate resources, which may include printed material, web sites, or other services or agencies.

If you need legal advice or representation, staff will refer you to a lawyer who practices in the substantive areas of law you need, within geographical proximity, and appropriate to your situation. Unlike listings in telephone guides or on-line searches, LRIS can review your problem with you, and cross-reference several areas of law that seem to be indicated so that LRIS finds someone likely to be able to handle all the issues that may be involved. There is a $25 fee for this referral, and LRIS does not give out lists of names.

The LRIS will need to know the basic who/what/where/when facts of your problem, including who the other parties involved are, what happened, and what you would like an attorney to do for you. You can start the conversation with an e-mail or by downloading the Referral Request (link above), filling it out, and mailing or faxing it in or by calling the LRIS. If you contact the LRIS by mail or e-mail, they may contact you with more questions before they are able to make a referral. When the LRIS has all the information they need, they cross-reference their database and find an attorney to refer to you.