With spring upon us, our attention turns to the rebirth of the world around us. To many, spring offers a renewal of hope. Spring brings with it the anticipation of warmer days ahead, of flowers and veggies that will sprout, of the home repairs that will be completed and of summer visits with family and friends that will be planned.
 
This may be one of the reasons that, earlier this spring, President Biden proclaimed April “Second Chance Month,” a time to recommit to a vision of America as “a land of second chances, founded on fresh starts, new possibilities, and the belief that every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”
The proclamation specifically asks Americans to recommit to offering second chances to those whose mistakes resulted in a prison sentence. It recognizes that those reentering society after a prison sentence face nearly insurmountable barriers to successful reintegration. It asks Americans to prioritize reentry and reintegration for those with justice histories rather than ongoing stigma, shame, retribution and exclusion. The proclamation is a timely reminder of the work we face as a country to undo the damage that we have created by locking up the highest percentage of our citizens in the entire world.
 
Here in Maine, April brought the introduction in the Maine Legislature of L.D. 178, An Act to Support Reentry and Reintegration into the Community. L.D. 178 would reinstate parole, which Maine abolished in 1976, in the form of a supported pathway to reentry. The bill would open an opportunity for incarcerated community members who qualify to serve out the remainder of their sentences in the community, under the supervision of the Department of Corrections, rather than in prison. It would offer an opportunity for renewed hope.
 
The bill would establish a parole board with expertise in mental health, the law, social science and the clinical treatment and rehabilitation of people who have committed sexual violence. To qualify for parole, a person must have served at least five years of their sentence, be able to demonstrate that they are rehabilitated, have done the work necessary to improve themselves, are ready to be accountable to the community, pose no threat to public safety, and have a strong, stable support plan. If a person doesn’t meet these requirements, they won’t get parole.
 
Maine is one of only 16 states without parole, and is evaluated by national criminal law organizations as the harshest state for sentencing in the country. Other states without parole offer a variety of avenues to early reentry for those who are rehabilitated and pose no threat to public safety through second-chance legislation, resentencing divisions, robust executive clemency practice and other programs. Maine offers none of these options. (Maine has executive clemency, but it has not been used to recognize rehabilitation in decades).
 
What would parole do for Maine?
As it stands, people are released from custody at the conclusion of their sentences with no support and with no effort to evaluate their rehabilitation or risk to public safety. Parole would prioritize public safety in assessing whether a person should be allowed to live in the community while serving out their sentence. Currently no incentives beyond a personal desire for self-improvement exist for those who are incarcerated. Parole would incentivize residents in Maine’s prisons to take advantage of the many rehabilitative and educational programs available to them.
Currently taxpayers foot the bill — $78,000 per person per year — to incarcerate people who pose no risk to public safety. Parole would allow those people to become taxpayers, supporting their families, rather than living in prison at taxpayer expense. Parole would offer victims a safe way to participate in parole hearings and the safety of knowing that the person who harmed them poses no risk.
 
Parole is second-chance legislation. Let’s greet May with a recommitment to this form of hopeful renewal.

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