An Act to Establish Training and Certification Standards for Probation and Parole Officers
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 2045
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: SALISBURY
Amends: 25 MRSA §2801-A, 25 MRSA §2801-B, 25 MRSA §2803-A, 25 MRSA §2804-M, 25 MRSA §2804-N

Legislative Document
No. 2045
H.P. 1307
House of Representatives, December 13, 2023
An Act to Establish Training and Certification Standards for 
Probation and Parole Officers
Submitted by the Department of Corrections pursuant to Joint Rule 203.
Received by the Clerk of the House on December 11, 2023.  Referred to the Committee on 
Criminal Justice and Public Safety pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to 
Joint Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative SALISBURY of Westbrook.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  25 MRSA §2801-A, sub-§5, as amended by PL 2013, c. 147, §5, is further 
amended to read:
5.  Law enforcement officer.  "Law enforcement officer" means a person who by 
virtue of public employment is vested by law with the power to make arrests for crimes or 
serve criminal process, whether that power extends to all crimes or is limited to specific 
crimes, and who possesses a current and valid certificate issued by the board pursuant to 
section 2803‑A.  As used in this chapter,  "law enforcement officer" does not include federal 
law enforcement officers or, attorneys prosecuting for the State or persons who perform 
probation functions or are adult probation supervisors as defined in Title 17-A, section 2, 
subsection 3-C.
Sec. 2.  25 MRSA §2801-A, sub-§7-A is enacted to read:
7-A.  Probation and parole officer.  "Probation and parole officer" means an 
employee of the Department of Corrections with duties described in Title 34-A, section 
5404 who possesses a current and valid certificate issued by the board pursuant to section 
2803-A, subsection 5-C or a provisional certification as determined by the board for certain 
employees employed prior to January 1, 2025.
Sec. 3.  25 MRSA §2801-B, sub-§1, ¶A, as repealed and replaced by PL 2013, c. 
588, Pt. A, §33, is amended to read:
A.  An employee of the Department of Corrections with a duty to perform probation 
functions or who is an adult probation supervisor as defined in Title 17‑A, section 2, 
subsection 3‑C or who is an investigative officer or other employee of the Department 
of Corrections authorized to exercise law enforcement powers as described in Title 
34‑A, section 3011;
Sec. 4.  25 MRSA §2803-A, sub-§5-C is enacted to read:
5-C. Training and certification of probation and parole officers.  To establish 
training and certification standards for probation and parole officers, set requirements for 
board-approved courses, prescribe curricula and certify graduates of board-approved 
courses. Certification must be based on the officer's demonstration of having acquired 
specific knowledge and skills directly related to job performance;
Sec. 5.  25 MRSA §2804-M is enacted to read:
§2804-M.  Probation and parole officer basic training and certification
1.  Training and certification required.   Beginning January 1, 2025, as a condition 
to the continued employment of a person hired as a probation and parole officer, that person 
shall successfully complete, within the first 12 months of employment, a basic training 
course approved by the board and meet the certification standards established by the board 
pursuant to section 2803-A, subsection 5-C. Thereafter, as a condition to continued 
employment as a probation and parole officer, the officer shall satisfactorily maintain the 
basic certification. The board, under extenuating and emergency circumstances in 
individual cases, may extend the 12-month period for not more than 180 days. The board, 
in individual cases, may waive basic training requirements when the facts indicate that an 
equivalent course has been successfully completed in another state or federal jurisdiction.
Sec. 6.  25 MRSA §2804-N is enacted to read:
§2804-N.  In-service probation and parole officer training
1. Required.  Beginning January 1, 2025, as a condition to the continued employment 
of any person as a probation and parole officer, that person shall successfully complete 
in-service training as prescribed by the board. Failure to successfully complete in-service 
training by a probation and parole officer as prescribed by the board constitutes grounds to 
suspend or revoke a certificate issued by the board pursuant to section 2803-A.
2. Role of board.  The board shall establish in-service training requirements, consistent 
with subsection 1, and coordinate delivery of in-service training. The in-service 
recertification training requirements must include information on new laws and court 
decisions. The board shall consider and encourage the use of telecommunications 
technology in the development and delivery of in-service training programs. In establishing 
the recertification training requirements, the board shall cooperate with the Department of 
Corrections to ensure that the standards are appropriate. In-service training may not be 
applied to satisfy in-service recertification training requirements unless it is approved by 
the board.
3.  Provision of in-service training.  In-service training programs that meet the 
requirements established under subsection 2 or other in-service training may be provided 
by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy or the Department of Corrections.
4. Credit for continuing education.  The board may grant in-service training credits 
to be applied to in-service recertification training requirements for courses completed at 
accredited colleges and universities.  
Sec. 7.  Probation and parole officer certification transfer.  
1. Provisional certification. A probation and parole officer working for the 
Department of Corrections who has satisfied employment and training requirements 
established pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 34-A, section 5402, subsection 2 
prior to January 1, 2025 is provisionally certified until April 1, 2025.
2. Transfer application. No later than April 1, 2025, for each probation and parole 
officer who is provisionally certified pursuant to subsection 1 and is employed by the 
Department of Corrections, the department shall submit documentation required by the 
Board of Trustees of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy to establish current and valid 
certification as a probation and parole officer. 
Sec. 8.  Board of Trustees of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy to 
establish training and certification standards.  The Board of Trustees of the Maine 
Criminal Justice Academy shall establish training and certification standards for probation 
and parole officers pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 25, section 2803-A, 
subsection 5-C no later than January 1, 2025.  
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Board of Trustees of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy to 
establish training and certification standards, set requirements for board-approved courses, 
prescribe curricula and certify graduates of board-approved courses for probation and 
parole officers and requires those officers to meet the training and certification standards 
established by the board.