First Public Hearing Of The Session!

Yesterday, we kicked off our legislative session, testifying in opposition to two bills before the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety. Both bills would create new class D crimes, which carry penalties of up to 364 days behind bars and a $2,000 fine. As a general rule, we oppose the creation of new crimes and the expansion of Maine's penal code.

The United States incarcerates 25% of the world's population while having only 4% of the world's general population.  This is attributable to a culture that has emphasized punishment over education and imprisonment over rehabilitation. In that context, we oppose any bills that criminalize new behavior.

LD 40 would make it a class D crime to "tamper" with a private memorial erected on a public right-of-way. We were pleased to hear that members of the criminal justice committee shared our concerns about the bill's vague language, which would make it hard for people to know whether or not they are violating the law.

We hope that committee members think twice before expanding Maine's criminal code and vote "ought not to pass" on this bill.