An Act To Improve Public Safety through Coordinated Reentry of Prisoners into the Community
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1756
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: TALBOT ROSS, DESCHAMBAULT, BAILEY, EVANGELOS, MADIGAN, MORALES, TUELL, WARREN, CARPENTER, MOORE
Amends: 34-A MRSA §1206-B, 34-A MRSA §3036-A, 34-A MRSA §3061

Legislative Document
No. 1756
H.P. 1250
House of Representatives, May 21, 2019
An Act To Improve Public Safety through Coordinated Reentry of 
Prisoners into the Community
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: BAILEY of Saco, EVANGELOS of Friendship, MADIGAN of Waterville, 
MORALES of South Portland, TUELL of East Machias, WARREN of Hallowell, Senators: 
CARPENTER of Aroostook, MOORE of Washington.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  34-A MRSA §1206-B is enacted to read:
§1206-B.  Reentry agreements
1.  Agreements with state agencies.  The commissioner shall negotiate joint 
working agreements with the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department 
of Labor, the Department of Education and other appropriate state agencies to ensure that 
prisoners and juvenile clients receive coordinated assistance with reentry and receive all 
the services and benefits for which they are eligible upon their release into the 
community.
2.  Agreements with federal and community agencies.  The commissioner may 
negotiate agreements with appropriate federal agencies and community agencies as 
defined in section 1206, subsection 1, paragraph B to provide prisoners and juvenile 
clients additional assistance with reentry and with the receipt of services and benefits 
upon their release into the community.
Sec. 2.  34-A MRSA §3036-A, sub-§2, ¶B, as amended by PL 2001, c. 141, §1, 
is further amended to read:
B.  A prisoner may not be transferred to supervised community confinement until the 
prisoner has served at least 2/3 of the term of imprisonment imposed or, in the case of 
a split sentence, at least 2/3 of the unsuspended portion, after consideration of any 
deductions that the prisoner has received and retained under Title 17-A, section 1253 
if the term of imprisonment or, in the case of a split sentence, the unsuspended 
portion is more than 5 years.  A prisoner may not be transferred to supervised 
community confinement until the prisoner has served at least 1/2 of the term of 
imprisonment imposed or, in the case of a split sentence, at least 1/2 of the 
unsuspended portion after consideration of any deductions that the prisoner has 
received and retained under Title 17-A, section 1253 if the term of imprisonment or, 
in the case of a split sentence, the unsuspended portion is 5 years or less.
Sec. 3.  34-A MRSA §3036-A, sub-§2, ¶C, as amended by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. 
ZZZ, §2, is further amended to read:
C.  Except as provided in paragraph C-1, a  A prisoner may not be transferred to 
supervised community confinement unless the prisoner has no more than 18 36 
months remaining on the term of imprisonment or, in the case of a split sentence, on 
the unsuspended portion, after consideration of any deductions that the prisoner has 
received and retained under Title 17-A, section 1253.
Sec. 4.  34-A MRSA §3036-A, sub-§2, ¶C-1, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 711, Pt. 
A, §22 and affected by Pt. D, §2, is repealed.
Sec. 5.  34-A MRSA §3061, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2017, c. 148, §7, is 
further amended to read:
1.  Transfer.  The commissioner may transfer any client from one correctional or 
detention facility or program, including prerelease centers, work release centers, halfway 
houses, sober houses, transitional housing, reentry programs, supervised community 
confinement or specialized treatment facilities, to another.  A juvenile may not be 
transferred to another facility or program for adult offenders and an adult offender may 
not be transferred to another facility or program for juveniles, except that an adult 
offender may be housed in the Long Creek Youth Development Center or the Mountain 
View Correctional Facility pursuant to section 4117 or Title 17-A, section 1259.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Commissioner of Corrections to enter into agreements with 
other state agencies to ensure that prisoners and juvenile clients receive coordinated 
assistance with reentry and receive services and benefits upon release into the 
community.  It also authorizes the commissioner to enter into similar agreements with 
federal agencies and community agencies.
Under current law, the amount of time a prisoner must serve prior to being transferred 
to supervised community confinement is based on the term of imprisonment.  The bill 
removes that distinction.
The bill removes a provision of law providing that if the commissioner determines 
that the average statewide probation case load is no more than 90 probationers to one 
probation officer, a prisoner may be transferred to supervised community confinement if 
the prisoner has no more than 2 years remaining on the term of imprisonment or 
unsuspended portion of a split sentence.
Under current law, the commissioner may transfer any client from one correctional or 
detention facility or program to another.  The bill adds sober houses, transitional housing 
and reentry programs to the list of such facilities in current law.