Maine Revised Statutes
Chapter 75: VICTIMS' RIGHTS
17-A §2106. Notification of defendant's release or escape

§2106. Notification of defendant's release or escape
(CONTAINS TEXT WITH VARYING EFFECTIVE DATES)
(TEXT EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1/01/23) Upon complying with subsection 1, a victim of a crime of murder or of a Class A, Class B or Class C crime or of a Class D crime under chapters 9, 11 and 12 for which the defendant is committed to the Department of Corrections or to a county jail or is committed to the custody of the Commissioner of Health and Human Services either under Title 15, section 103 after having been found not criminally responsible by reason of insanity or under Title 15, section 101‑D after having been found incompetent to stand trial must receive notification of the defendant's unconditional release and discharge from institutional confinement upon the expiration of the sentence or upon release from commitment under Title 15, section 101‑D or upon discharge under Title 15, section 104‑A; must receive notification of any conditional release of the defendant from institutional confinement, including probation, supervised release for sex offenders, parole, furlough, work release, funeral or deathbed visit, supervised community confinement, home release monitoring or similar program, administrative release or release under Title 15, section 104‑A; and must receive notification of the defendant's escape from the Department of Corrections, the custody of the Commissioner of Health and Human Services or the county jail to which the defendant is committed. For purposes of this section, "victim" also includes a person who has obtained under Title 19‑A, section 4007 an active protection order or approved consent agreement against the defendant. [PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]
(TEXT EFFECTIVE 1/01/23) Upon complying with subsection 1, a victim of a crime of murder or of a Class A, Class B or Class C crime or of a Class D crime under chapters 9, 11 and 12 for which the defendant is committed to the Department of Corrections or to a county jail or is committed to the custody of the Commissioner of Health and Human Services either under Title 15, section 103 after having been found not criminally responsible by reason of insanity or under Title 15, section 101‑D after having been found incompetent to stand trial must receive notification of the defendant's unconditional release and discharge from institutional confinement upon the expiration of the sentence or upon release from commitment under Title 15, section 101‑D or upon discharge under Title 15, section 104‑A; must receive notification of any conditional release of the defendant from institutional confinement, including probation, supervised release for sex offenders, parole, furlough, work release, funeral or deathbed visit, supervised community confinement, home release monitoring or similar program, administrative release or release under Title 15, section 104‑A; and must receive notification of the defendant's escape from the Department of Corrections, the custody of the Commissioner of Health and Human Services or the county jail to which the defendant is committed. For purposes of this section, "victim" also includes a person who has obtained under Title 19‑A, former section 4007 or Title 19‑A, section 4110 an active protection order or approved consent agreement against the defendant. [PL 2021, c. 647, Pt. B, §41 (AMD); PL 2021, c. 647, Pt. B, §65 (AFF).]
1. Request for notification. A victim who wishes to receive notification must file a written request for that notification of the defendant's release or escape under this section with the office of the attorney for the State. The attorney for the State shall forward this request form to the Department of Corrections or to the state mental health institute or to the county jail to which that defendant is committed. Notwithstanding this subsection, a victim who wishes to receive notification regarding a defendant who is committed to the Department of Corrections may file a request for notification of the defendant's release directly with the Department of Corrections.
[PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]
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 mail 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.
[PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]
3. Contents of notification upon release. If the defendant is being released, the notification required by this section must contain:
A. The name of the defendant; [PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]
B. The nature of the release authorized, whether it is a conditional release, including probation, supervised release for sex offenders, parole, furlough, work release, funeral or deathbed visit, supervised community confinement, home release monitoring or a similar program, administrative release or release under Title 15, section 104‑A, or an unconditional release and discharge upon release from commitment under Title 15, section 101‑D or upon the expiration of a sentence or upon discharge under Title 15, section 104‑A; [PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]
C. The anticipated date of the defendant's release from institutional confinement and any date on which the defendant must return to institutional confinement, if applicable; [PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]
D. The geographic area to which the defendant's release is limited, if any; [PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]
E. The address at which the defendant will reside; and [PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]
F. The address at which the defendant will work, if applicable. [PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]
[PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]
4. Contents of notification upon escape. If the defendant has escaped, the notice required by this section must contain the name of the defendant, the manner of escape, the place from which the defendant escaped and the date of the escape.
[PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]
5. Termination of notification requirement. The notification requirement under this section ends when:
A. Notification has been provided of an unconditional release or discharge upon the expiration of the sentence or upon release under Title 15, section 101‑D or upon discharge under Title 15, section 104‑A; or [PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]
B. The victim has filed a written request for a notification under subsection 1 with the Department of Corrections or the state mental health institute or the county jail to which the defendant is committed asking that no further notification be given. [PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]
[PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]
6. Liability. Neither the failure to perform the requirements of this chapter nor compliance with this chapter subjects the attorney for the State, the Commissioner of Corrections, the Department of Corrections, the Commissioner of Health and Human Services, the institution for the care and treatment for persons with mental illness to which the defendant is committed by the Commissioner of Health and Human Services or the residential program that provides care and treatment for persons who have intellectual disabilities or autism to which the defendant is committed by the Commissioner of Health and Human Services or the county jail or the employees or officers of the attorney for the State, the Commissioner of Corrections, the Department of Corrections, the Commissioner of Health and Human Services, the state mental health institution for the care and treatment for persons with mental illness to which the defendant is committed by the Commissioner of Health and Human Services or the residential program that provides care and treatment for persons who have intellectual disabilities or autism to which the defendant is committed by the Commissioner of Health and Human Services or the county jail to liability in a civil action.
[PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §2 (NEW). PL 2021, c. 647, Pt. B, §41 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 647, Pt. B, §65 (AFF).