Last updated:  October 22, 2024

I.  Loss & restoration of civil/firearms rights

A.  Civil rights

The right to vote is not lost even upon incarceration.   The right to serve on a jury is also not lost.  See Me. Stat. tit. 14, § 1211 (providing disqualifications for jury service, none of which refer to criminal history).¹  The right to hold office is also not lost.  A statute providing that a judgment of conviction may include an order disqualifying the defendant from office was repealed in 2019.  See Me. Stat. tit. 17-A, 1152(4) (repealed by PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. A, §1).

B.  Firearms

Firearm privileges are lost upon conviction of a crime punishable by a term of one year or more, or a juvenile adjudication involving violence or a firearm.  Me. Stat. Ann. 15, § 393(1), paragraphs (A-1) and (C). A convicted individual may apply to the Governor five years from the date of discharge for a permit to carry a firearm, but not a concealed handgun. tit. 15, § 393(2):

“A person subject to the provisions of subsection 1, paragraph A‑1, subparagraphs (1) to (4) or paragraph C as a result of a conviction or adjudication may, after the expiration of 5 years from the date that the person is finally discharged from the sentences imposed as a result of the conviction or adjudication, apply to the Office of the Governor for a permit to carry a firearm subject to subsection 4. That person may not be issued a permit to carry a concealed firearm pursuant to Title 25, chapter 252. A permit issued pursuant to this subsection is valid for 4 years from the date of issue unless sooner revoked for cause by the commissioner. For purposes of this subsection, “firearm” does not include a firearm defined under 18 United States Code, Section 921(3)[sic].”

Black powder guns and other “antique” weapons are permitted since they are not within the federal firearms prohibition. See 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(3). A juvenile with a non-violent disqualifying conviction under paragraph A-1 is disqualified only for a period of 3 years following completion of any disposition imposed or until that person reaches 18 years of age.  Before issuing a permit, the Governor must notify various law enforcement officials, and may not grant the permit if any of them object in writing. Me. Stat. 15, § 393(4).   

C.  Sex Offense Registration

Relief from sex offense rgistration:  “If the underlying conviction in this State or in another jurisdiction that triggers the registration requirement is reversed, vacated or set aside or if the offender or registrant is pardoned for the crime, registration is no longer required.” Me. Stat. tit. 34A § 11285(9)(B). 

The lifetime registration and quarterly verification requirements of the 1999 sex offender registration act may not be retroactively imposed upon offenders sentenced under the 1991 and 1995 acts. See State v. Letalien, 985 A.2d 4 (Maine 2009) (holding that retroactive application of requirements violates ex post facto provision of Maine Constitution since the effect of requirements is essentially punitive). 

II.  Pardon policy & practice

A.  Authority

The governor has authority to pardon, except in cases of impeachment, subject to regulation “relative to the manner of applying.” Me. Const. art. V, pt. 1, § 11.²  The only regulation of “the manner of applying” involves notification to officials and public prior to hearing.   The governor is assisted by the non-statutory Governor’s Board on Executive Clemency, composed of three members appointed by the governor.  Me. Exec. Order 25 FY 11/12 (Nov. 1, 2011).  The Board is tasked with making recommendations to the governor on each pardon petition, and by executive order is charged with holding public hearings on such petitions.  Id.  The final decision on clemency petitions rests solely with the governor.³  Id.  

The Chair of the Board shall be designated by the Governor.  All members of the Board will be Maine citizens who have demonstrated humanitarian concern as well as thorough knowledge of the criminal justice system, and who have demonstrated such qualities in their private and professional lives that would assist them in evaluating the rehabilitation of persons convicted under our criminal justice laws.  The Board is supported administratively by the Department of Corrections.      

B.  Administration

The Department of Corrections (DOC) administers the governor’s pardon power through its Division of Adult Community Services.  Frequently asked questions about eligibility, the application process, and the effect of pardons are available at http://www.maine.gov/corrections/adult/pardon/.    DOC’s Division of Probation and Parole is authorized, “when requested by the Governor,” to investigate pardon cases, and to make recommendations to the Governor.  Me.  Stat. tit. 34-A, § 5210(4).  All information gathered by the Division is confidential.  Id.  In practice, the Governor’s Board on Executive Clemency holds pardon hearings and makes the recommendations to the governor while the Division assists with investigations.  See Governor’s Board of on Executive Clemency, General Information Regarding Executive Clemency (2022); Exec. Order 25 FY 11/12, supra.

C.  Eligibility

Petitions will not be considered until five years after the completion of the petitioner’s sentence.  Guidelines of Pardon Board, Maine Department of Corrections.  As a matter of policy, petitions to pardon DUI offenses will not be considered, nor will petitions seeking a pardon solely to regain gun rights, or to be removed from the state’s sex offender registry,⁴ or to enter Canada. Further, petitions “seeking a pardon for one criminal conviction when the Petitioner has one or more additional serious criminal convictions that are not included in the Petitioner’s application for a pardon will not be heard.”  Id.  

D.  Criteria

The pardon application form requires a description of “exceptional” circumstances warranting a pardon. Petition for Executive Clemency (2008). In granting one of her few pardons (this a posthumous one), governor Janet Mills stated that “Pardons are given in recognition of the extraordinary things people have done with their personal and professional lives, especially since the time of their conviction; how they have improved their own life; and how they have contributed to the lives of others.”

E.  Effect

A pardon lifts automatic legal barriers (including firearms dispossession and sex offender registration), and evidences rehabilitation.  Ten years after the final discharge of sentence, a pardoned person may apply to the State Bureau of Identification to have all references to the pardoned crime deleted from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s identification record.  Me. Stat. tit. 15, § 2167 (2011).  See also Me. Stat. tit. 34A § 11285(9)(B). 

In addition, in 2018 the Criminal History Record Information Act was amended to include as confidential information “disclosing that a person has petitioned for and been granted a full and free pardon.”  Me. Stat. tit. 16,  § 703(2)(L), HB 765.   Accordingly, it is now hard to know who has been granted a pardon unless they have been granted a public hearing, which is not mandated by law.  

F.  Process

Pardon application forms and instructions are available at http://www.maine.gov/corrections/adult/pardon.  Petitions are sent to the Department of Corrections, which initiates a preliminary background check on the petitioner by the State Bureau of Identification.  General Information Regarding Executive Clemency.  The Governor’s Board on Executive Clemency then reviews the petitions and decides whether to grant a hearing before the Board.  Id.  If a hearing is granted, the Parole Board conducts a more thorough background investigation which includes an interview with the petitioner, and may also include interviews with third parties including the petitioner’s family, friends, and co-workers.   

The only statutory regulation of the pardon process is that, prior to the hearing, written notice of the petition for pardon must be given “to the Attorney General and the district attorney for the county where the case was tried at least 4 weeks before the time of the hearing.”  Me. Stat. tit. 15, § 2161 (2011). Petitioners must post a notice of the hearing in a newspaper in the county where the conviction occurred at least four weeks before the hearing.  Id.  See also General Information Regarding Executive Clemency, supra.   Note, however, that a hearing is not mandated by law and need not be held in the governor chooses not to avail himself of this process. 

If a hearing is held, it is public, and allows the Board to ask the petitioner “about matters involving the Petitioner’s application for clemency, including the reason why clemency is being sought and the circumstances surrounding the crime(s) for which a pardon or commutation is being requested.”  See General Information Regarding Executive Clemency, supra.  After the hearing, the Board meets in Executive Session to discuss the petitioner’s case, and then transmits its recommendation to the governor. The Board meets at least three times each year.  Id.  The entire process, from the time the application is received until a final decision is issued, usually takes a minimum of six months, and “could take as much as a year or longer.”  Id.  If the petition is denied, the petitioner must wait one year to reapply.  Id.

G.  Frequency of Grants

Governor Janet Mills, who took office in early 2019, has granted only a handful of pardons, including two to non-citizens threeatened with deportation, and one posthumous pardon to an advocate for the Passamaquoddy Tribe.

Governor Paul Lepage reportedly granted pardons to only 30 individuals between taking office in 2011 and the final full year of his term (2018).   The website of the Maine Board on Executive Clemency contains no information on the number of pardon applications granted and denied, though newspaper reports indicate that hundreds have applied for relief. According to a 2013 article in the Bangor Daily News, “the [Department of Corrections] has not yet received any signed paperwork from the governor’s office.  So, while the pardons are signed, an employment or criminal background check would not yet indicate that any [of the pardons] exist.” Judy Meyer, Hundreds seek pardons of criminal conviction in Maine each year, but few are granted, Bangor Daily News, June 2, 2013,  Because information about pardon filings and grants has since 2017 been designated as confidential, it is now hard to know who has applied for and who has been granted a pardon unless they have been granted a public hearing and required to post a notice in the newspaper (see discussion above).   

In 2012, the Board received nearly 160 pardon petitions, and granted hearings on just over a quarter of those petitions.  Of the petitions heard, the Board recommended 18 to the Governor, 11 of which were granted.  During his eight years in office (2002-2011), Governor Baldacci granted 131 pardons, 51 in his final year in office.  About 50 people are granted hearings each year, and of them about 25% are granted pardon.  Governor Baldacci regarded pardons as exceptional, primarily useful for “working people,” for whom pardons make a significant difference in their life (employment, particularly nurses and teachers; immigration cases).  Two of his final pardons went to individuals seeking pardon to avoid deportation.⁵  Angus King pardoned about the same number during the preceding eight years, with some individuals receiving multiple pardons, according to information supplied by the Secretary of State’s Office.  Gov. Joseph Brennan approved about 300 requests for pardons and commutations, according to Bangor Daily News articles from the 1994 campaign.

H.  Contact

Questions regarding pardons may be directed to:

Department of Corrections
Division of Adult Community Services
111 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333
(207) 287-4340

III.  Expungement, sealing & other record relief

A. Sealing of Class E and certain marijuana convictions  

Since 2015 Maine has gradually expanded the category of convictions eligible for sealing, and relaxed applicable procedural requirements.  In 2024, Maine authorized sealing for all Class E crimes (less serious misdemeanors) except for sexual assault convictions, removing an age limitation in prior law, and also authorized sealing of Class D and E marijuana convictions obtained prior to legalization in 2017.  See Me. Stat. tit. 15, § 2261, enacted by HP1435.⁶. Applicable procedures provide that at least one year must have passed since the terms of the sentence were satisfied, and a person must not have been convicted of any crime involving sexual assault. Me. Stat. tit. 15, § 2262. A four-year eligibility waiting period was reduced in 2023, and eligibility restrictions eliminated that required 1) no other convictions in the state and 2) no charges dismissed pursuant to a deferred disposition agreement since the sentence was satisfied.) The court in which the conviction was obtained must hold a hearing, § 2264(5), and if the person commits another crime the record must be unsealed. § 2264(7).  Agencies that still have access to a sealed record include, in addition to law enforcement and victims, motor vehicle departments, licensing agencies, financial services agencies and financial institutions. § 2265.  

B.  Deferred adjudication

“A person who has pleaded guilty to a Class B crime under chapter 45 or a Class C, Class D or Class E crime and who consents to a deferred disposition in writing is eligible for a deferred disposition.” Me. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 1901.  “Following the acceptance of a plea of guilty for a crime for which a person is eligible for a deferred disposition under section 1901, the court may order sentencing deferred to a date certain or determinable and impose requirements upon the person, to be in effect during the period of deferment, considered by the court to be reasonable and appropriate to assist the person to lead a law-abiding life.”  § 1902.  Upon successful completion of the period of deferment, the prosecutor may file a motion permitting the defendant to withdraw the plea, and dismiss the charges. § 1903.  Other dispositional options may also be available, such as knocking down a felony to a misdemeanor. 

C.  Confidentiality of certain non-conviction records

Substantial changes were made to Maine’s Criminal History Record Information Act in June 2013.  See 2013 Me. Legis. Serv. Ch. 267 (H.P. 1070) (L.D. 1493) (effective Oct.  9, 2013).  Various non-conviction records held by criminal justice agencies are made confidential, but this does not apply to court records. See Me. Stat. tit. 16, §§ 703, 705, 708(3), 709(6); see also tit. 16, §§ 611, 613 (2012) (prior version); Megan Gray, Maine courts have improperly sealed public records for years, after agreeing to end practice, Portland Press Herald (Nov. 18, 2020). In addition, disclosure of confidential information held by criminal justice agencies may be made to “[a]ny person who makes a specific inquiry . . .  as to whether a named individual was summonsed, arrested or detained or had formal criminal charges initiated on a specific date,” as well as other specific grounds for disclosure.  § 705(1)(E).

D.  Confidentiality of pardoned convictions 

Criminal justice agency records concerning a pardoned conviction is also considered confidential and is available only under the same conditions in the previous section.  tit. 16 § 705(1)(E). As noted above, ten years after the final discharge of sentence, a pardoned person may apply to the State Bureau of Identification to have all references to the pardoned crime deleted from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s identification record.  Me. Stat. tit. 15, § 2167.    

E.  Sealing of juvenile records

In 2021, Maine completely revised its law on confidentiality of juvenile records, both those in the possession of law enforcement and court records.  See LD1676.  Effective January 1, 2022, the law limiting dissemination of information about juvenile adjudications by criminal justice agencies is spelled out in detail in Me. Stat. tit. 15, §§ 3010. Confidentiality of court records is governed by tit. 15, § 3308-C. ⁷ 

IV.  Criminal record in employment & licensing 

A.  Ban-the-box in employment

In 2021 Maine enacted a ban-the-box law applicable to public and private employment (except for state employees covered by the 2019 ban-the-box law described below), prohibiting inquiry into a person’s criminal record until the person has been selected for an interview or been deemed otherwise qualified.  Me. Stat. tit. 26, §600-A. Certain positions are excepted, including those for which the law creates a presumption of disqualification for certain offenses, or otherwise bars hiring people with certain convictions.

In 2019 Maine enacted a law prohibiting questions about an individual’s criminal history on applications for employment for a position in State Government, “except when, due to the nature and requirements of the position, a person who has a criminal history may be disqualified from eligibility for the position.”  Provision covers positions in the legislative, executive or judicial branch of State Government or a position with a quasi-independent state entity or public instrumentality of the State, but not “a school administrative unit, municipality, county or other political subdivision of the State.”  Me. Stat. tit. 5, §792.

B.  Occupational licensing

Maine has not amended its occupational licensing laws that apply to applicants with a criminal record in many years (except for one recent provision for hemp growers), and they are considerably less progressive than analogous laws in many other states. Under Me. Stat. tit. 5, § 5301(1), licensing agencies may take into consideration criminal history record information from Maine or elsewhere “relating to convictions” that have not been set aside or pardoned, but “the existence of such information shall not operate as an automatic bar to being licensed, registered or permitted to practice any profession, trade or occupation.” The law appears not to contemplate agency consideration of non-conviction records.

Convictions for which incarceration for less than a year is authorized may be considered only if the offense “directly relates” to the license, or if the offense involves dishonesty or false statement. § 5301(2).  Convictions of a sexual nature may be disqualifying in connection with certain types of health care licenses.  In addition, the minor convictions described under in § 5301(2) may be taken into account if the licensing agency determines that the individual “has not been sufficiently rehabilitated to warrant the public trust.”  In such event, the licensing agency “shall explicitly state in writing the reasons for a decision which prohibits the applicant, licensee, registrant or permit holder from practicing the profession, trade or occupation if that decision is based in whole or in part on conviction of any crime described in section 5301, subsection 2.”

Conviction records other than the minor ones described in § 5301 may be considered within 3 years of the applicant’s final discharge. § 5303(1). “Beyond the 3-year period, ex-offender applicants or licensees with no additional convictions are to be considered in the same manner as applicants or licensees possessing no prior criminal record for the purposes of licensing decisions,” except that “there is no time limitation for consideration of an applicant’s or licensee’s conduct which gave rise to the criminal conviction if that conduct is otherwise a ground for disciplinary action against a licensee.”   Id.  Health care licenses have a 10-year lookback period.  § 5303(2).  There is a provision for judicial appeal of a denial. §5304. 

There are no similar limitations on public or private employment.

 

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1. This does not necessarily permit people with a conviction record to serve on Maine juries. See Brian C. Kalt, The Exclusion of Felons from Jury Service, 53 Am. U.L. Rev. 65, 152 n. 395 (2003):

   “Although [incarcerated criminals] could be bound over day to day until they are free from incarceration, it is logical to excuse them from service for this term. Again, [it is] up to the individual judge.” E-mail from Connie Fletcher, Judicial Secretary, Cumberland County (Maine) Superior Court, to Jeff Jocks, researcher at Michigan State University-DCL College of Law (June 28, 2002) (on file with the American University Law Review).”

2. The Maine Supreme Court has held statutes purporting to reduce prison terms through good time or judicial resentencing to be an unconstitutional usurpation of governor’s clemency authority.  See Chestnut v. State, 524 A.2d 1216, 1219-20 (Me. 1987); State v. Hunter, 447 A.2d 797, 801-803 (Me. 1982). 
3. In 1977, Amendment 129 to the Maine constitution eliminated the constitutional requirement that the governor obtain the advice of the quasi-legislative Executive Council before issuing a pardon.  Me. Con. Res. 1975, c.4   See also In re Pardoning Power of Governor & Council, 27 A. 463 (Me. 1892) (governor not required to seek concurrence of the justices of the supreme court, noting separation of powers concerns).   In 1995, freed of these venerable limits on his pardon power, Governor Angus King created the Board on Executive Clemency.  See E.O, 8-94/95, January 27, 1995 (on file with author). 
4. Cf.  Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 34-A, § 1125-A(6)(c) (2011) (registration no longer required after pardon). 
5. See Kevin Miller, As clock runs out on his term, Baldacci grants final pardons,  Bangor Daily News, Jan. 5, 2011.
6.   The 2024 law repealed a 2022 version of this statute that authorized sealing for Class E crimes committed between the ages of 18 and 28, which law in turn repealed a 2015 provision that authorized sealing for Class E crimes committed between the ages of 18 and 21. See Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 15, § 2259 (2015)(sunset provision repealing chapter 310 of Title 15, §§ 2251 through 2259). Chapter 310 provided that courts must seal convictions for Class E crimes (less serious misdemeanors) that were committed while a person was between the ages of 18 and 21 but only if the person has not been convicted of any other offenses and has no charges pending.  Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 15, §§ 2251, 2255. Sexual assault offenses are ineligible.  § 2251. A 4-year waiting period applied from the time of completion of sentence.  § 2252.  Sealing was mandatory upon a finding of eligibility criteria. § 2254(5).  If a person was convicted of an offense subsequent to sealing, then the sealed records must be unsealed.  § 2254(7).  Sealed records may not be disseminated to anyone except other than criminal justice agencies.  § 2255. A person whose record is sealed “may respond to inquiries from other than criminal justice agencies by not disclosing its existence without being subject to any sanctions.” § 2256.  The sunset provision referred to in text was set to repeal this sealing authority on Oct. 1, 2019.  See § 2259. In 2019, the legislature by resolution established the Criminal Records Review Committee to develop a policy on access to criminal records, notably records of decriminalized conduct (or that might be decriminalized) and crimes committed by victims of human trafficking.  In its preamble, the resolution noted that “the definition of appropriate access to criminal records is evolving as society changes its thinking with regard to sentencing, punishment, rehabilitation, and fresh starts.” and that “the separation of powers concept enshrined in the Constitution of Maine limits the options available for reducing access to criminal records.”  See H.P. 569 – L.D. 764.
7.   Under prior law enacted in 2019 and repealed effective January 1, 2022, the subject of juvenile records was authorized to petition the court to seal the record if at least three years had passed since the end of the juvenile’s disposition, there had been no subsequent adjudications or convictions since the disposition, and there were no pending charges.   The court might rule against sealing if it determined that the public’s right to information substantially outweighs the juvenile’s privacy interest.  Once sealed, a juvenile could deny the existence of the record.  tit. 15, § 3308(8)(D).Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 15, §§ 3308(8)(A) through (D), repealed by LD1676.