An Act to Provide Electronic Notification to Victims of Crimes
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0981
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: CARNEY
Amends: 15 MRSA §2136, 15 MRSA §2138, 15 MRSA §6101, 17-A MRSA §2101, 17-A MRSA §2106, 17-A MRSA §2107

Legislative Document
No. 981
S.P. 408
In Senate, March 11, 2025
An Act to Provide Electronic Notification to Victims of Crimes
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator CARNEY of Cumberland.
Cosponsored by Senator: HARRINGTON of York.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  15 MRSA §2136, sub-§6-A is enacted to read:
6-A.  Electronic notice.  "Electronic notice" means a notice delivered by an e-mail, 
text message or application-based system.
Sec. 2.  15 MRSA §2138, sub-§13, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 469, §1, is amended 
to read:
13.  Victim notification.  When practicable, the attorney for the State shall make a 
good faith effort to give written notice or electronic notice of a motion under this section 
to the victim of the person described in subsection 1 or to the victim's family if the victim 
is deceased.  The A written notice must be by first-class mail to the victim's last known 
address.  Upon the victim's request, the attorney for the State shall give the victim written 
notice or electronic notice of the time and place of any hearing on the motion and shall 
inform the victim of the court's grant or denial of a new trial to the person.
Sec. 3.  15 MRSA §6101, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. C, §§53 and 
54, is further amended to read:
1.  Notice to victims.  Whenever practicable, the attorney for the State shall make a 
good faith effort to inform, by written notice or electronic notice, as defined in section 
2136, subsection 6-A, the victims and families of victims of crimes of domestic violence 
and sexual assault and crimes in which the victim or the victim's family suffered serious 
physical trauma or serious financial loss of:
A.  The victim advocate and the victims' compensation fund pursuant to Title 5, chapter 
316‑A;
B.  The victim's right to be advised of the existence of a negotiated plea agreement 
before that agreement is submitted to the court pursuant to Title 17‑A, section 2103;
C.  The time and place of the trial, if one is to be held;
D.  The victim's right to make a statement or submit a written statement at the time of 
sentencing pursuant to Title 17‑A, section 2104 upon conviction of the defendant; and
E.  The final disposition of the charges against that defendant.
Sec. 4.  17-A MRSA §2101, sub-§1-A is enacted to read:
1-A.  Electronic notice.  "Electronic notice" means a notice delivered by an e-mail, 
text message or application-based system.
Sec. 5.  17-A MRSA §2106, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2, is 
amended to read:
2.  Notification of victim.   The Department of Corrections or the state mental health 
institute or the county jail to which the defendant is committed shall keep the victim's 
written request for a notification under subsection 1 in the file of the defendant and shall 
notify the victim by written notice in the mail or electronic notice to a telephone number or 
e-mail address of any impending release as soon as the release date is set or, if the defendant 
has escaped, by the quickest means reasonably practicable.  This notification must be 
mailed to the address provided in the request or any subsequent address provided by the 
victim.
Sec. 6.  17-A MRSA §2107, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2, is 
amended to read:
3.  Method of notification.   Notification under subsection 2 must be made by a 
telephone call or electronic notice either directly to the victim or as provided in subsection 
5.  In the event that the jail has not succeeded in contacting the victim after the jail has 
exercised due diligence in attempting to contact the victim, notification of the defendant's 
release must be made to the law enforcement agency that investigated the report of 
domestic violence, sexual assault under chapter 11 or stalking.  That law enforcement 
agency shall make a reasonable attempt to notify the victim of the defendant's release on 
preconviction bail.
Sec. 7. Automated crime victims notification system. The County Corrections 
Professional Standards Council, as established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, 
section 12004-G, subsection 6-D, shall establish an automated crime victims notification 
system. The system must be used to provide notices of an offender's change in incarceration 
status or custody and notices regarding criminal justice proceedings considered to be in the 
best interest of crime victims in this State and public safety. The council shall contract with 
a commercial real-time automated crime victims notification system intended to develop, 
support, house and maintain the automated crime victims notification system for use by the 
Department of Public Safety, the Maine Sheriffs' Association and the Department of 
Corrections. The contract must require that the contracted entity provide the following:
1. Operating a support center open on a 24-hours-per-day, 7-days-per-week basis;
2. E-mail, text message and application-based capabilities;
3. English and Spanish real-time operations; and
4. Directory or contact information for community-based support services, including 
but not limited to housing services, mental and physical health resources, domestic violence 
resources and financial assistance.
Sec. 8.  Appropriations and allocations.  The following appropriations and 
allocations are made.
CORRECTIONS, DEPARTMENT OF
Administration - Corrections 0141
Initiative: Provides one-time funding to the County Corrections Professional Standards 
Council for the development, support and maintenance of the automated crime victims 
notification system.
GENERAL FUND
2025-26
2026-27
All Other
$575,000
$0
__________
__________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL
$575,000
$0
SUMMARY
Current law requires written notice to be made to victims of crimes in the event that a 
defendant is released on preconviction bail or released or escaped from custody. This bill 
allows for that notice to be electronic. The bill requires the County Corrections Professional 
Standards Council to implement an automated crime victims notification system. The 
automated system provides a victim with timely notices of an offender's change in 
incarceration status or custody and notices regarding criminal justice proceedings 
considered to be in the best interest of crime victims in this State and in the interests of 
public safety. Finally, the bill provides an appropriation of $575,000 from the General Fund 
in fiscal year 2025-26 for the purposes of development, support and maintenance of the 
automated crime victims notification system.