An Act to Designate the Warden of the Maine State Prison as Chief
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0017
Sponsors: BEEBE-CENTER
Amends: 34-A MRSA §3231, 34-A MRSA §4203, 34-A MRSA §4204, 34-A MRSA §4205

Legislative Document
No. 17
S.P. 28
In Senate, January 8, 2025
An Act to Designate the Warden of the Maine State Prison as Chief 
Administrative Officer of the Bolduc Correctional Facility
Submitted by the Department of Corrections pursuant to Joint Rule 204.
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on January 6, 2025.  Referred to the Committee on 
Criminal Justice and Public Safety pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator BEEBE-CENTER of Knox.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  34-A MRSA §3231, sub-§3, ¶A, as repealed and replaced by PL 1999, c. 
583, §18, is amended to read:
A.  The warden may appoint deputy wardens, subject to the Civil Service Law.  A 
deputy warden designated by the warden has the powers, duties, obligations and 
liabilities of the warden when the warden is absent from the prison location or is unable 
to perform the duties of the office.
Sec. 2.  34-A MRSA §4203, as enacted by PL 2013, c. 508, §7, is amended to read:
§4203.  Director Warden
1.  Chief administrative officer.  The chief administrative officer of the facility is 
called the director and the warden of the Maine State Prison, referred to in this subchapter 
as "the warden."  The warden is responsible to the commissioner.
2.  Duties.  In addition to other duties set out in this Title, the director warden has the 
following duties.
A.  The director warden shall exercise proper supervision over the employees, grounds, 
buildings and equipment at the facility.
B.  The director warden shall supervise and control the prisoners at the facility in 
accordance with departmental rules.
3.  Powers.  In addition to other powers granted in this Title, the director may appoint 
one assistant director, subject to the Civil Service Law; the assistant director has the 
powers, duties, obligations and liabilities of the director when the director is absent or 
unable to perform the director's duties.
Sec. 3.  34-A MRSA §4204, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2013, c. 508, §7, is amended 
to read:
2.  Education.  The director warden shall maintain suitable courses for academic and 
career and technical education of the prisoners. The director warden shall maintain 
necessary equipment and employ suitable qualified instructors as necessary to carry out the 
objectives of the facility's programs.
Sec. 4.  34-A MRSA §4205, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 48, §2, is amended to read:
§4205.  Employees of the facility
Employees of the facility have the same power as do deputy sheriffs in their respective 
counties to search for and apprehend escapees from the facility when authorized to do so 
by the director warden.
SUMMARY
This bill designates the warden of the Maine State Prison as the chief administrative 
officer of the Bolduc Correctional Facility and removes the power to appoint an assistant 
director.
The bill also changes the provision of law allowing the warden to appoint deputy 
wardens to clarify that any deputies appointed by the warden are responsible when the 
warden is absent or unable to perform the duties of the office rather than specifically absent 
from the Maine State Prison or unable to perform the duties of the office.