An Act To Revise the Good Time Laws To Improve Public Safety
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1346
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: TALBOT ROSS, DESCHAMBAULT, EVANGELOS, MAREAN, NEWELL, PLUECKER, RECKITT, WARREN, CARPENTER, ROSEN
Amends: 17-A MRSA §1253

Legislative Document
No. 1346
H.P. 974
House of Representatives, March 21, 2019
An Act To Revise the Good Time Laws To Improve Public Safety
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative TALBOT ROSS of Portland.
Cosponsored by Senator DESCHAMBAULT of York and
Representatives: EVANGELOS of Friendship, MAREAN of Hollis, NEWELL of the 
Passamaquoddy Tribe, PLUECKER of Warren, RECKITT of South Portland, WARREN of 
Hallowell, Senators: CARPENTER of Aroostook, ROSEN of Hancock.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  17-A MRSA §1253, sub-§6-A, as amended by PL 2003, c. 711, Pt. A, 
§16, is further amended to read:
6-A.  When a judgment of conviction involving a term of imprisonment is vacated or 
a sentence involving a term of imprisonment is revised or reviewed and a new sentence 
involving a term of imprisonment is thereafter imposed upon the person for the same 
offense, day-for-day credit must be accorded on the new sentence both for each day the 
person served in execution of the initial sentence and for all previously earned deductions 
specified in subsections 4, 5, 8, 9 and, 10 and 15 and Title 30-A, section 1606.  Prior to 
the day-for-day credit being given on the new sentence, the new sentence must, after first 
having been reduced by any deductions specified in subsection 2 previously or 
subsequently received, have applied to it the controlling deduction specified in either 
subsection 3 or 3-B, if applicable.
Sec. 2.  17-A MRSA §1253, sub-§13, as amended by PL 2015, c. 431, §42, is 
further amended to read:
13.  If a court imposes a sentencing alternative pursuant to section 1152 that includes 
a term of imprisonment, in setting the appropriate length of that term, as well as an 
unsuspended portion of that term, if any, the court may not consider the potential impact 
of deductions under subsections 2, 3, 3-B, 4, 5, 8, 9 and, 10 and 15 except in the context 
of a plea agreement in which both parties are recommending to the court a particular 
disposition under the Maine Rules of Unified Criminal Procedure, Rule 11-A.
Sec. 3.  17-A MRSA §1253, sub-§14, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 102, §5, is 
amended to read:
14.  The Commissioner of Corrections or the sheriff of the county jail may establish 
policy and guidelines for crediting hours of participation in work in excess of 8 hours in a 
day toward another day for the purpose of calculating deductions from a sentence under 
subsections 4, 5, 8 and, 10 and 15.
Sec. 4.  17-A MRSA §1253, sub-§15 is enacted to read:
15.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this section to the contrary and in 
accordance with the provisions of this subsection, beginning January 1, 2020, each person 
who has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment for a crime on or after October 1, 
1983 and each person who commits a crime on or after January 1, 2020 and is 
subsequently sentenced to a term of imprisonment for that crime is entitled to receive a 
total deduction of up to 12 days per month under this subsection if such deduction is 
determined to be warranted by the chief administrative officer of the state correctional 
facility or the sheriff of the county jail in which the person has been detained, except that 
the total number of days of deduction per month a person is entitled to receive under this 
section may not exceed 12 days.  For the purpose of calculating deductions under this 
subsection, a month is a calendar month.
A.  Up to 6 days per month may be deducted if the person's conduct and fulfillment 
of assigned responsibilities is determined to warrant those deductions.
(1)  Deductions made under this paragraph must be calculated as follows for 
partial months.
B.  Up to 4 additional days per month may be deducted if the person's participation in 
educational programming, participation in assigned work, compliance with the 
person's case plan or fulfillment of other responsibilities within the state correctional 
facility or county jail is determined to warrant those deductions.
(1)  Deductions made under this paragraph must be calculated as follows for 
partial months.
C.  Up to 2 additional days per month may be deducted if the person's participation in 
minimum security or community programs in the person's transition plan for 
community work, education or rehabilitation programs administered or contracted by 
the state correctional facility or county jail is determined to warrant those deductions.
(1)  Deductions made under this paragraph must be calculated as follows for 
partial months.
D.  Any portion of the time deducted from the sentence of any person pursuant to this 
subsection may be withdrawn by the chief administrative officer of the state 
correctional facility or the sheriff of the county jail for the infraction of any rule of 
the state correctional facility or jail, for any misconduct or for the violation of any 
law of the State.  The chief administrative officer of the state correctional facility or 
the sheriff of the county jail may restore any portion of the deductions that have been 
withdrawn if the person's later conduct and outstanding effort are such that the 
Days of partial month
Maximum meritorious good time 
credit available
to 10 days
up to 2
to 20 days
up to 4
to 31 days
up to 6
Days of partial month
Maximum meritorious good time 
credit available
to 15 days
up to 2
to 31 days
up to 4
Days of partial month
Maximum meritorious good time 
credit available
to 15 days
up to 1
to 31 days
up to 2
restoration is determined to be warranted in the discretion of the chief administrative 
officer or sheriff.
SUMMARY
Beginning January 1, 2020, this bill provides for up to 12 days of deduction per 
month from a sentence of imprisonment for any person sentenced for a crime on or after 
October 1, 1983 and for any person who commits a crime on or after January 1, 2020 and 
is subsequently sentenced for that crime as follows:
1.  Up to 6 days per month may be deducted if the person's conduct and fulfillment of 
assigned responsibilities is determined to warrant those deductions;
2.  Up to 4 additional days per month may be deducted if the person's participation in 
educational programming, participation in assigned work, compliance with the person's 
case plan or fulfillment of other responsibilities is determined to warrant those 
deductions; and
3.  Up to 2 additional days per month may be deducted if the person's participation in 
minimum security or community programs in the person's transition plan for community 
work, education or rehabilitation programs is determined to warrant those deductions.
Awarding of these deductions is determined by the chief administrative officer of the 
state correctional facility or the sheriff of the county jail in which the person has been 
detained.  The bill caps at 12 days the total days of deduction per month a person may 
receive under the State's good time laws.