2022 Maine Revised Statutes
TITLE 16: COURT PROCEDURE -- EVIDENCE
Chapter 7: CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORD INFORMATION ACT
16 §703. Definitions

§703. Definitions

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.   [PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

1.  Administration of criminal justice.  "Administration of criminal justice" means activities relating to the apprehension or summonsing, detention, pretrial release, post-trial release, prosecution, adjudication, sentencing, correctional custody and supervision or rehabilitation of accused persons or convicted criminal offenders. "Administration of criminal justice" includes the collection, storage and dissemination of criminal history record information.  

[PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

2.  Confidential criminal history record information.  "Confidential criminal history record information" means criminal history record information of the following types:  

A. Unless the person remains a fugitive from justice, summons and arrest information without disposition if an interval of more than one year has elapsed since the date the person was summonsed or arrested and no active prosecution of a criminal charge stemming from the summons or arrest is pending;   [PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

B. Information disclosing that the responsible law enforcement agency or officer has elected not to refer a matter to a prosecutor;   [PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

C. Information disclosing that the responsible prosecutorial office or prosecutor has elected not to initiate or approve criminal proceedings;   [PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

D. Information disclosing that a grand jury has determined that there is insufficient evidence to warrant the return of a formal charge;   [PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

E. Information disclosing that a criminal proceeding has been postponed for a period of more than one year or dismissed because the person charged is found by the court to be mentally incompetent to stand trial or to be sentenced;   [PL 2013, c. 507, §1 (AMD).]

F. Information disclosing that a criminal charge has been filed, if more than one year has elapsed since the date of the filing;   [PL 2013, c. 507, §2 (AMD).]

G. Information disclosing that a criminal charge has been dismissed by a court with prejudice or dismissed with finality by a prosecutor other than as part of a plea agreement;   [PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

H. Information disclosing that a person has been acquitted of a criminal charge. A verdict or accepted plea of not criminally responsible by reason of insanity, or its equivalent, is not an acquittal of the criminal charge;   [PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

I. Information disclosing that a criminal proceeding has terminated in a mistrial with prejudice;   [PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

J. Information disclosing that a criminal proceeding has terminated based on lack of subject matter jurisdiction;   [PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

K. Information disclosing that a criminal proceeding has been terminated because the court lacked jurisdiction over the defendant; and   [PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

L. Information disclosing that a person has petitioned for and been granted a full and free pardon.   [PL 2017, c. 432, Pt. B, §1 (AMD).]

[PL 2017, c. 432, Pt. B, §1 (AMD).]

3.  Criminal history record information.  "Criminal history record information" means information of record collected by a criminal justice agency or at the direction of a criminal justice agency or kept in the custody of a criminal justice agency that connects a specific, identifiable person, including a juvenile treated by statute as an adult for criminal prosecution purposes, with formal involvement in the criminal justice system either as an accused or as a convicted criminal offender. "Criminal history record information" includes, but is not limited to, identifiable descriptions or notations of: summonses and arrests; detention; bail; formal criminal charges such as complaints, informations and indictments; any disposition stemming from such charges; post-plea or post-adjudication sentencing; involuntary commitment; execution of and completion of any sentencing alternatives imposed; release and discharge from involuntary commitment; any related pretrial and post-trial appeals, collateral attacks and petitions; and petitions for and warrants of pardons, commutations, reprieves and amnesties. "Criminal history record information" does not include: identification information such as fingerprints, palmprints, footprints or photographic records to the extent that the information does not indicate formal involvement of the specific individual in the criminal justice system; information of record of civil proceedings, including traffic infractions and other civil violations; intelligence and investigative record information as defined in section 803; or information of record of juvenile crime proceedings or their equivalent. Specific information regarding a juvenile crime proceeding is not criminal history record information notwithstanding that a juvenile has been bound over and treated as an adult or that by statute specific information regarding a juvenile crime proceeding is usable in a subsequent adult criminal proceeding. "Formal involvement in the criminal justice system either as an accused or as a convicted criminal offender" means being within the jurisdiction of the criminal justice system commencing with arrest, summons or initiation of formal criminal charges and concluding with the completion of every sentencing alternative imposed as punishment or final discharge from an involuntary commitment based upon a finding of not criminally responsible by reason of insanity or its equivalent.  

[PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

4.  Criminal justice agency.  "Criminal justice agency" means a federal, state or State of Maine government agency or any subunit of a government agency at any governmental level that performs the administration of criminal justice pursuant to a statute or executive order. "Criminal justice agency" includes federal courts, Maine courts, courts in any other state, the Department of the Attorney General, district attorneys' offices and the equivalent departments or offices in any federal or state jurisdiction. "Criminal justice agency" also includes any equivalent agency at any level of Canadian government and the government of any federally recognized Indian tribe.  

[PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

5.  Disposition.  "Disposition" means information of record disclosing that a criminal proceeding has been concluded, although not necessarily finalized, and the specific nature of the concluding event. "Disposition" includes, but is not limited to: an acquittal; a dismissal, with or without prejudice; the filing of a charge by agreement of the parties or by a court; the determination that a defendant is currently a fugitive from justice; a conviction, including the acceptance by a court of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere; a deferred disposition; a proceeding indefinitely continued or dismissed due to a defendant's incompetence; a finding of not criminally responsible by reason of insanity or its equivalent; a mistrial, with or without prejudice; a new trial ordered; an arrest of judgment; a sentence imposition; a resentencing ordered; an execution of and completion of any sentence alternatives imposed, including but not limited to fines, restitution, correctional custody and supervision, and administrative release; a release or discharge from a commitment based upon a finding of not criminally responsible by reason of insanity or its equivalent; the death of the defendant; any related pretrial and post-trial appeals, collateral attacks and petitions; a pardon, commutation, reprieve or amnesty; and extradition. "Disposition" also includes information of record disclosing that the responsible law enforcement agency or officer has elected not to refer a matter to a prosecutor, that the responsible prosecutorial office or prosecutor has elected not to initiate or approve criminal proceedings or that a grand jury has determined that there is insufficient evidence to warrant the return of a formal charge.  

[PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

6.  Dissemination.  "Dissemination" means the transmission of information by any means, including but not limited to orally, in writing or electronically, by or to anyone outside the criminal justice agency that maintains the information.  

[PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

7.  Executive order.  "Executive order" means an order of the President of the United States or the chief executive of a state that has the force of law and that is published in a manner permitting regular public access.  

[PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

8.  Public criminal history record information.  "Public criminal history record information" means criminal history record information that is not confidential criminal history record information, including information recorded pursuant to section 706.  

[PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

9.  State.  "State" means any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa. "State" also includes the federal government of Canada and any provincial government of Canada and the government of any federally recognized Indian tribe.  

[PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

10.  Statute.  "Statute" means an Act of Congress or an act of a state legislature or a provision of the Constitution of the United States or the constitution of a state.  

[PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW).]

SECTION HISTORY

PL 2013, c. 267, Pt. A, §2 (NEW). PL 2013, c. 507, §§1, 2 (AMD). PL 2017, c. 432, Pt. B, §1 (AMD).