Maine is one of 16 states that has abolished or severely limited parole. It's the only state in the Northeast to do so.
Different from probation, which is part of someone's sentence, parole is the conditional, supervised release of a prisoner into the community before a sentence is completed.
Four years ago, a state commission recommended that parole be restored, and now lawmakers are considering the latest bill to put it back on the books.
"Maine has done such a good job of investing in programming and supportive services for people who are incarcerated. ... But to what end?" said Rep. Nina Milliken, a Democrat from Blue Hill in a recent interview.
Milliken is the sponsor of the latest bill to restore parole. Maine was the first state to abolish it in 1976 as part of a national effort to keep violent offenders behind bars.
In recent years, the Maine Department of Corrections has developed a national reputation for its "model of corrections," which allows prisoners to vote, allows laptops and remote work in prison and has a less restrictive housing unit for those who demonstrate exemplary behavior. It's grounded in a philosophy that emphasizes respect for individuals and rehabilitation.
"I just want us to understand that if we're calling it the Department of Corrections, what's the point of correcting if we then don't give people ... an opportunity to reintegrate with their families and their communities and build their lives outside of prison?" Milliken said. "What are we investing in?"
Since parole was abolished 50 years ago, Milliken says sentences have gotten 20% longer, the state's prison population has tripled to about 2,000 and, according to the Maine Department of Corrections, about 15% of incarcerated people are now over the age of 50. They're not only older but they have more complex health issues.
At the Mountain View Correctional Center in Charleston, nearly 50 older men with diagnoses including dementia, seizure disorders, COPD and cancer reside in the specialized health care unit staffed by certified nursing assistants and other care providers.
"I was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2011 and was diagnosed with diabetes in 2003," said 59-year-old Charlie Martin. "My hands have gotten really weak ... and it's hard for me to cut up my own food."
Until last year, Martin was a resident of the unit, which looks more like a nursing home than a correctional facility. Like others here, Martin has limited mobility. He relies on a wheelchair because he says he can't walk far. He has served 37 years in prison for a murder conviction and at the time of this interview was just 49 days from being released.
"They're trying to find an assisted living unit for me. And then it's just gonna be play it by ear," he said.
While incarcerated, both his parents and his two siblings passed away. There's no one waiting for him on the outside, which is one reason he says he's feeling anxious about leaving Mountain View.
Parole advocates say it's costly and cruel to incarcerate someone at a rate of about $117,000 a year when they are incapable of posing a public safety risk.
But the biggest reason parole is needed, says Thazra Rosie Hylton, is that it gives hope to those who have transformed themselves over time.
"Even though they have served decades, learned and repented, changed and repeatedly shown their capability of growth, there is no hope to spring forth in life," she said. "Parole was established here 50 years ago as of this year and I believe we have societally evolved passed that choice, that we, as a people, believe in second chances."
Hylton, who serves on the board of the Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition, was among dozens who testified in support of the parole bill last week. She's the sister of a longtime prison resident who was convicted of attempted murder in a home invasion at the age of 18.
She also describes herself as the survivor of a violent attack. So, she says she understands other survivors' concerns and fears about the release of those who caused them permanent harm.
"For me, I do feel that justice can only come to fruition when rehabilitation and forgiveness are at the forefront of the process and I feel safer in a community that prioritizes healing over punishment," she said.
"Some families would be OK for the opportunity for parole. However, for the families and loved ones who are not OK with parole, [it] is revictimizing them," said Rep. Suzanne Salisbury, a Democrat from Westbrook.
Salisbury told members of the Judiciary Committee she opposes the parole bill, in part, because no crimes would be excluded from consideration.
Someone sentenced to life could be considered after serving 20 years. Others would need to serve at least half of their sentence.
"I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around someone that was sentenced to life in prison being able to change that completely," Salisbury said.
The final decision would be up to a seven-member parole board that would weigh multiple factors, including risk to public safety. But Deputy Corrections Commissioner Anthony Cantillo told the committee it's unnecessary, given the state's supervised community confinement program for those who demonstrate good behavior and who have less than three years remaining on their sentence.
"In the past year, 2025, the Department released 107 residents to the community under SCCP. The program has a high success rate. The women's successful completion rate for SCCP was 91% and for men it was 82%," he said.
The DOC would like to expand the supervised community confinement program, but Cantillo said the high cost of housing is a major barrier, which would also be true for those on parole.
Of all the states that allow parole, only ten, including Massachusetts, approve half or more applicants for release. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, the approval rate varies from a low of 4% in South Carolina to a high of 76% in Wyoming.
Milliken said the Maine parole bill won't be for everyone. There are some tough restrictions that an applicant would need to meet.
"It doesn't guarantee release," she told the committee. It just guarantees review."
But the bill's provisions have not assuaged the concerns of the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence. In written testimony, the group's policy director, Andrea Mancuso, said policy and implementation questions remain unaddressed, including how parole would be applied retroactively and how it would interface with a sentence already imposed by the courts.
More importantly, Mancuso said the Legislature has been unwilling to fund community-based mental health, substance-use recovery and other services which will be essential for those seeking "second chances" and to "prevent further harm."
A work session on the bill has not yet been scheduled.
