Criminal Justice

LD 421 repeals Maine law provisions that allowed courts to suspend a driver's license for up to 5 years for certain drug-related offenses. It specifically targets suspensions for crimes including drug trafficking, counterfeit drug trafficking, and aggravated marijuana cultivation. The bill removes the legal authority for courts to impose these license suspensions when sentencing individuals convicted of those specific offenses. This change directly affects people convicted of the listed drug crimes by eliminating a barrier to driving privileges upon reentry into the community after incarceration.

LD 717 amends Maine's criminal code to expand restitution requirements for drug trafficking cases. It removes the previous requirement that courts must find trafficking was "profit-motivated" for the cost of drug analysis to be included in restitution. This change means victims or the government can now recover all drug analysis costs when a defendant is convicted of trafficking scheduled drugs under Chapter 45. The bill directly affects defendants convicted of such trafficking and streamlines restitution for related costs.

LD 1335 prohibits life sentences for individuals convicted of crimes in Maine on or after January 1, 2026. It requires courts to impose a definite term of imprisonment of at least 25 years instead of life sentences or sentences deemed "equivalent to life" (defined as a term reasonably expected to last the person's lifetime based on factors like age at sentencing). The bill applies to all crimes under Maine's criminal code, including murder and aggravated attempted murder, but allows life sentences for convictions prior to 2026. It amends multiple sections of Maine's criminal code to implement this change and define the key term "term of years equivalent to imprisonment for life."