PLEASE NOTE: Legislative Information cannot perform research, provide legal advice, or interpret Maine law. For legal assistance, please contact a qualified attorney.
An Act To Mandate the Use of Standardized Risk Assessment in the Management of Domestic Violence Crimes
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 15 MRSA §1023, sub-§4, ¶C, as amended by PL 2011, c. 341, §2, is further amended to read:
 
C. In a case involving domestic violence, set preconviction bail for a defendant before making a good faith effort to obtain from the arresting officer, the responsible prosecutorial office, a jail employee or other law enforcement officer:
 
(1) A brief history of the alleged abuser;
 
(2) The relationship of the parties;
 
(3) The name, address, phone number and date of birth of the victim; and
 
(4) Existing conditions of protection from abuse orders, conditions of bail and conditions of probation; and
 
(5) Beginning no later than January 1, 2014, the results of a validated, evidence-based domestic violence risk assessment recommended by the Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse, established in Title 5, section 12004-I, subsection 74-C, conducted on the alleged abuser;
Sec. 2. 15 MRSA §1026, sub-§4, ¶C, as amended by PL 2007, c. 374, §9, is further amended to read:
 
C. The history and characteristics of the defendant, including, but not limited to:
 
(1) The defendant's character and physical and mental condition;
 
(2) The defendant's family ties in the State;
 
(3) The defendant's employment history in the State;
 
(4) The defendant's financial resources;
 
(5) The defendant's length of residence in the community and the defendant's community ties;
 
(6) The defendant's past conduct, including any history relating to drug or alcohol abuse;
 
(7) The defendant's criminal history, if any;
 
(8) The defendant's record concerning appearances at court proceedings;
 
(9) Whether, at the time of the current offense or arrest, the defendant was on probation, parole or other release pending trial, sentencing, appeal or completion of a sentence for an offense in this jurisdiction or another;
 
(9-A) Any evidence that the defendant poses a danger to the safety of others in the community, including the results of a validated, evidence-based domestic violence risk assessment recommended by the Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse, established in Title 5, section 12004-I, subsection 74-C;
 
(10) Any evidence that the defendant has obstructed or attempted to obstruct justice by threatening, injuring or intimidating a victim or a prospective witness, juror, attorney for the State, judge, justice or other officer of the court; and
 
(11) Whether the defendant has previously violated conditions of release, probation or other court orders, including, but not limited to, violating protection from abuse orders pursuant to Title 19, section 769 or Title 19-A, section 4011.
Sec. 3. 19-A MRSA §4012, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. B, §2 and affected by Pt. E, §2, is amended to read:
 
6. Officer responsibilities.   When a law enforcement officer has reason to believe that a family or household member has been abused, the officer shall immediately use all reasonable means to prevent further abuse, including:
 
A. Remaining on the scene as long as the officer reasonably believes there is a danger to the physical safety of that person without the presence of a law enforcement officer, including, but not limited to, staying in the dwelling unit;
 
B. Assisting that person in obtaining medical treatment necessitated by an assault, including driving the victim to the emergency room of the nearest hospital;
 
C. Giving that person immediate and adequate written notice of that person's rights, which include information summarizing the procedures and relief available to victims of the family or household abuse; or
 
D. Arresting the abusing party with or without a warrant pursuant to section 4011 and Title 17-A, section 15.
 
Beginning no later than January 1, 2014, in addition to the actions specified in this subsection, the law enforcement officer shall administer a validated, evidence-based domestic violence risk assessment recommended by the Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse, established in Title 5, section 12004-I, subsection 74-C. The law enforcement officer administering this assessment shall provide the results of the assessment to the bail commissioner, if appropriate, and the district attorney for the county in which the abuse took place.
Sec. 4. 25 MRSA §2803-B, sub-§1, ¶D, as amended by PL 2011, c. 265, §2, is further amended to read:
 
D. Domestic violence, which must include, at a minimum, the following:
 
(1) A process to ensure that a victim receives notification of the defendant's release from jail;
 
(2) A process for the collection of information regarding the defendant that includes the defendant's previous history, the parties' relationship, the name of the victim and a process to relay this information to a bail commissioner before a bail determination is made;
 
(3) A process for the safe retrieval of personal property belonging to the victim or the defendant that includes identification of a possible neutral location for retrieval, the presence of at least one law enforcement officer during the retrieval and giving the victim the option of at least 24 hourshours' notice to each party prior to the retrieval; and
 
(4) Standard procedures to ensure that protection from abuse orders issued under Title 19-A, section 4006 or 4007 are served on the defendant as quickly as possible; and
 
(5) Beginning no later than January 1, 2014, a process for the administration of a validated, evidence-based domestic violence risk assessment recommended by the Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse, as established in Title 5, section 12004-I, subsection 74-C, and the conveyance of the results of that assessment to the bail commissioner, if appropriate, and the district attorney for the county in which the domestic violence occurred.
Sec. 5. 25 MRSA §2803-B, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2011, c. 265, §3, is further amended to read:
 
2. Minimum policy standards.   The board shall establish minimum standards for each law enforcement policy no later than June 1, 1995, except that policies for expanded requirements for domestic violence under subsection 1, paragraph D, subparagraphs (1) to (4) must be established no later than January 1, 2012 and the policy for the use of, and the submission of the results of, the validated, evidence-based domestic violence risk assessment under subsection 1, paragraph D, subparagraph (5) must be established no later than January 1, 2013; policies for death investigations under subsection 1, paragraph I must be established no later than January 1, 2004; policies for public notification regarding persons in the community required to register under Title 34-A, chapter 15 under subsection 1, paragraph J must be established no later than January 1, 2006; policies for the recording and preservation of interviews of suspects in serious crimes under subsection 1, paragraph K must be established no later than January 1, 2005; policies for the expanded use of physical force, including the use of electronic weapons and less-than-lethal munitions under subsection 1, paragraph A, must be established no later than January 1, 2010; and policies for mental illness and the process for involuntary commitment under subsection 1, paragraph L must be established no later than January 1, 2010.
Sec. 6. 25 MRSA §2803-B, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2011, c. 265, §4, is further amended to read:
 
3. Agency compliance.   The chief administrative officer of each law enforcement agency shall certify to the board no later than January 1, 1996 that the agency has adopted written policies consistent with the minimum standards established by the board pursuant to subsection 2, except that certification to the board for expanded policies for domestic violence under subsection 1, paragraph D, subparagraphs (1) to (4) must be made to the board no later than June 1, 2012 and for the policy for the use of, and the submission of the results of, the validated, evidence-based domestic violence risk assessment under subsection 1, paragraph D, subparagraph (5) must be made to the board no later than July 1, 2013; certification to the board for adoption of a death investigation policy under subsection 1, paragraph I must be made to the board no later than June 1, 2004; certification to the board for adoption of a public notification policy under subsection 1, paragraph J must be made to the board no later than June 1, 2006; certification to the board for adoption of a policy for the recording and preservation of interviews of suspects in serious crimes under subsection 1, paragraph K must be made to the board no later than June 1, 2005; certification to the board for adoption of an expanded use of physical force policy under subsection 1, paragraph A must be made to the board no later than June 1, 2010; and certification to the board for adoption of a policy regarding mental illness and the process for involuntary commitment under subsection 1, paragraph L must be made to the board no later than June 1, 2010. The certification must be accompanied by copies of the agency policies. The chief administrative officer of each agency shall certify to the board no later than June 1, 1996 that the agency has provided orientation and training for its members with respect to the policies, except that certification for orientation and training with respect to expanded policies for domestic violence under subsection 1, paragraph D, subparagraphs (1) and (3) must be made to the board no later than January 1, 2004; certification for orientation and training with respect to the administration of a validated, evidence-based domestic violence risk assessment under subsection 1, paragraph D, subparagraph (5) must be made to the board no later than January 1, 2014; certification for orientation and training with respect to policies regarding death investigations under subsection 1, paragraph I must be made to the board no later than January 1, 2005; certification for orientation and training with respect to policies regarding public notification under subsection 1, paragraph J must be made to the board no later than January 1, 2007; certification for orientation and training with respect to policies regarding the recording and preservation of interviews of suspects in serious crimes under subsection 1, paragraph K must be made to the board no later than January 1, 2006; certification for orientation and training with respect to policies regarding expanded use of physical force under subsection 1, paragraph A must be made to the board no later than January 1, 2011; and certification for orientation and training with respect to policies regarding mental illness and the process for involuntary commitment under subsection 1, paragraph L must be made to the board no later than January 1, 2011.
Sec. 7.  34-A MRSA §3014  is enacted to read:
§ 3014. Identification; domestic violence risk factors
Beginning no later than January 1, 2014, a county corrections employee or an employee of the department whose duties include contact with prisoners or juvenile detainees shall administer to all prisoners and juvenile detainees a validated, evidence-based domestic violence risk assessment recommended by the Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse, established in Title 5, section 12004-I, subsection 74-C, to identify those prisoners or juvenile detainees who display known risk factors for domestic violence. This validated, evidence-based domestic violence risk assessment must be administered in addition to any other standard risk assessment performed. If the results of the validated, evidence-based domestic violence risk assessment indicate a higher risk than the results of a standard risk assessment indicate, the results of the validated, evidence-based domestic violence risk assessment must be used to override the results of the standard risk assessment based on a protocol established at the facility in which the prisoner or juvenile detainee resides.
As used in this section, "county corrections employee" means an employee of the county who is employed at a county jail and whose duties include contact with prisoners or juvenile detainees.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires the use of a validated, evidence-based domestic violence risk assessment by law enforcement officers in cases involving suspected or alleged domestic violence or abuse. The law enforcement officer is required to transmit the results of the assessment to the bail commissioner, if appropriate, and the district attorney for the county in which the suspected or alleged domestic violence or abuse took place. This bill also requires the administration of a validated, evidence-based domestic violence risk assessment to county and state correctional facility inmates to identify those who are at risk for committing domestic violence. The validated, evidence-based domestic violence risk assessment must be as recommended by the Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse; the use is not mandatory until January 1, 2014.