Tell your story of how you have been affected by Maine’s criminal justice operations for the Freedom & Captivity Archive, housed online at the Maine Historical Society.

The Freedom & Captivity Archive is a story bank of how criminal justice operations in Maine have affected Mainers across generations, locations, backgrounds, and experiences. The archive is hosted in Maine Historical Society’s My Maine Stories website. It is open to anyone who has a story to tell about being affected by the criminal justice system, whether directly or through a family member or friend. You can submit your story as a written story, a video, an audio piece, or in photographs. Your story can be anonymous, and you can help someone else tell their story.

Some possible story prompts include:

• – Who are you? Tell us about yourself.
• – How did the system impact you?
• – How did it feel to be touched or impacted by the system?
• – How did it affect the people who love you?
• – What has happened to you since you were impacted?
• – What do you want people to know about your experience?
• – What does freedom mean to you?

To share your story, go to the Tell My Story page and fill in the form. For ‘Story Topic’ select ‘Freedom & Captivity’. This form will ask for your information, story title, and story summary. You can make your story anonymous by checking the ‘Make me anonymous’ box. 

Questions? Write to freedomandcaptivity@gmail.com.