LD 648 - An Act to Expand the Supervised Confinement Program
LD 648, An Act to Expand the Supervised Community Confinement Program, establishes an exception to the standard eligibility criteria of the Department of Corrections’ supervised community confinement program by allowing a prisoner to be eligible if the prisoner is:
Serving a term of imprisonment of at least 15 years
Has served at least 15 years of the term of imprisonment imposed
The crime or crimes was committed before the age of 26
Has continuously maintained a custody classification level of medium, medium trustee status or minimum for the 5 years preceding the consideration for the Supervised Community Confinement Program
What This Bill Does
Establishes the option of being evaluated for SCCP placement if the crime was committed before the age of 26 and 15 years of the sentence has been served.
Anyone eligible would have to be evaluated against the standard criteria for SCCP
Background
Parole was abolished in Maine in 1976
Most people incarcerated in Maine serve their complete prison sentence inside
The classic incentive for self-improvement offered by an opportunity to earn a chance to serve a part of your prison sentence in the community does not exist in Maine
The average cost of incarcerating a person in Maine is about $117,000 per year
Brain development is not complete biologically until the age of 26
The crime rate goes down dramatically after the age of 40
Maine has the harshest sentencing in the country. Other states without parole have other mechanisms to earn reduced sentences.
Current Status in Maine
SCCP is a program that allows incarcerated individuals to apply to serve the final months of their sentence in a community setting.
The Maine Department of Corrections evaluates incarcerated individuals against a set of criteria to determine if they qualify for SCCP.
As of 3/24, there were 1579 people incarcerated in Maine prisons and 83 serving the remainder of their sentences on SCCP
The public and families are often told that SCCP is reasonable alternative to parole
Benefits of Expanding SCCP
Creates an incentive for incarcerated people to become better members of their communities
Reduces incarceration costs in Maine.
Allows individuals to rejoin the workforce, become taxpayers, and financially support their families
Acknowledges that people committing crimes at a young age have incomplete brain development and may lack impulse control, decision making skills, and/or a full understanding of the consequences of actions.
Recognizes the increased potential for rehabilitation and returning contributing individuals back to communities
Reduces recidivism by easing the transition back into the community after years of incarceration
Avoids the current practice of straight release which releases residents who have spent years in prison with no supports, no housing, no job, and no resources.