County Jail Prisoner Support and Community Corrections Fund

Initiative: Provides funds to be used in accordance with the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 34-A, section 1210-A, subsection 5, paragraphs A and B.

General Fund 2003-04 2004-05

All Other $0 $96,000

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General Fund Total $0 $96,000

Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this Act takes effect when approved.

SUMMARY

This bill is the recommendation of the Commission to Improve the Sentencing, Supervision, Management and Incarceration of Prisoners, which was established pursuant to Public Law 2003, chapter 451. The bill does the following.

1. It expands the responsibility of the Judicial Branch's Drug Coordinator to include all criminal diversion programs and changes the title of the position to "Coordinator of Diversion and Rehabilitation Programs."

2. It increases the monetary threshold for classification of theft crimes for Class C and Class D crimes, including the crimes of forgery and negotiating a worthless instrument.

3. It decreases from a Class C to a Class D crime burglary of a motor vehicle.

4. It decreases from a Class C to a Class D crime an inmate's failure to appear for work, school or a meeting with the inmate's supervising officer while the inmate is on intensive supervision or supervised community confinement.

5. It creates 2 new sentencing alternatives, deferred disposition and administrative release, and authorizes the court to convert probation to administrative release.

6. It restricts the use of probation for Class D and Class E crimes to only those crimes involving domestic violence, sex offenses and repeat OUI offenses.