American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maine
401 Cumberland Avenue
Portland, ME 04101
Executive Director: Louise Roback
Phone: (207) 774-5444
Fax: (207) 774-1103
Email: info@mclu.org
Website: http://www.mclu.org/
- The MCLU is an advocacy organization dedicated to preserving and advancing civil liberties and civil rights. We are organized as a private, non-profit, membership organization with more than 3,000 members and a staff of 8.
Bureau of Employment Services
Maine Department of Labor
55 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
Phone: (207) 624-6395
Fax: (207) 624-6499
- The Federal Bonding Program provides fidelity bonding insurance coverage to individuals with criminal histories and other high-risk job applicants who are qualified, but fail to get jobs because regular commercial bonding is denied due to their backgrounds.
Cumberland County Jail
Pre-Release Program
Portland, ME 04102
Phone: (207) 774-5939, ext. 156
- Cumberland County Jail has a work release/pre-release program for those inmates serving probation violations or felony time in the county jail. A prisoner may have two or three consecutive sentences of nine months duration and serve his/her sentence in the county jail. The jail offers a food service/culinary arts program, as well as a GED program. To be eligible for work release, inmates must have a GED, no disciplinary record, minimum-security level, and be in the last third of their sentence. There is a 10-week life skills and employability seminar class that all participants are enrolled in prior to their release on day work release. Dealing with one's criminal history is also part of the seminar. Assistance is given in job placement.
Maine Department of Corrections
State House Station 111
Augusta, ME 04333
Phone: (207) 287-4360
Fax: (207) 287-4370
Web Site: www.maine.gov/corrections/
- The Maine Department of Corrections operates six adult facilities including one pre-release center. Fewer than 10 inmates remain under old sentencing statutes which require release on parole. Most inmates are released after serving flat sentences minus any earned good time (awarded at the rate of five days per month) and are released without post-release supervision, although some offenders are sentenced to additional probation supervision. The Central Maine Pre-Release Center accepts minimum-security inmates with less than 14 months to release. When an inmate has six months or less to serve, he or she may be released to the community to find paid employment. Adult educational classes, including life skills, are offered at the pre-release facility by the local school district.
Maine Department of Labor
54 State House Station
20 Union Street
Augusta, ME 04332
Phone: (207) 287-3788
Fax: (207) 287-5292
Website: www.state.me.us/labor
- Information about State Department of Labor resources may be of interest to potential employers looking for incentives to hire individuals with criminal histories, service providers and individuals with criminal histories who are looking for assistance in finding employment, and researchers and policy makers looking at current programs to ascertain what programs are effective and serve their intended purpose.
Maine State Bar Association
P.O. Box 788
Augusta, ME 04322
Phone: (207) 622-7523
Fax: (207) 625-0083
Website: www.mainebar.org/
Midcoast Maine Community Action Program
Central Office/Resource Development Center
34 Wing Farm Parkway
Bath, ME 04530
Phone: (207) 442-7963
Fax (Main): (207) 442-0122
Fax (Administrative): (207) 443-7447
In-State Toll Free: (800) 221-2221
TTY: (888) 212-6229
Workforce Services
7 Union Street
Rockland, ME 04841
Phone: (207) 594-5319
Toll Free: 1-866-260-6609
Fax: (207) 594-3648
Website: http://mcmca-corp.org
- The Maine Prisoner Reentry Program assists Maine Department of Corrections with Maine's model of evidence-based correctional treatment programming, case management, reentry planning and supervision of individuals ages 16-30 transitioning from the state correctional system into their community.
- Midcoast Maine Community Action is a community action organization advocating on behalf of low-income and other at-risk individuals, assisting them to identify and address their needs, enabling them to achieve self sufficiency and independence. MMCA actively promotes economic and community development of the businesses and communities in the mid-coast area where individuals and families reside.
Office of Administrative Services
Maine Department of Labor
20 Union Street
P.O. Box 259
Augusta, ME 04332
Phone: (207) 287-3516
Fax: (207) 287-8394
Website: www.state.me.us/labor
- Unemployment compensation is a social insurance program designed to provide benefits to most individuals out of work, generally through no fault of their own, for periods between jobs. In order to be eligible for benefits, jobless workers must demonstrate that they have worked, usually measured by amount of wages and/or weeks of work, and must be able and available for work.
Office of the Attorney General
State House Station 6
Augusta, ME 04333
Phone: (207) 626-8800
Web Site: www.state.me.us/ag
- Employers and service providers may obtain information from the state attorney general regarding occupational bars, the licensing of individuals with criminal records in certain jobs, and whether the state has laws that limit what employers may ask job applicants or protections against employment discrimination based on a criminal record.
One-stop Career Centers
Bureau of Employment Services
Maine Department of Labor
55 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
Phone: (207) 624-6390
Website: www.mainecareercenter.com
- Maine has 23 One-Stop Career Centers that assist job seekers in finding employment. Information and services about job markets, skill assessment, resume writing, and interviewing techniques are available. Referrals for upgrading skills and job training are also available. The Career Center hotline number is 1-888-457-8883.
Pine Tree Legal Assistance
39 Green Street
P.O. Box 2429
Augusta, ME 04338
Phone: (207) 622-4731 or (207) 623-7777
Fax: (207) 623-7774
Email: augusta@ptla.org
Website: www.ptla.org
- Pine Tree Legal Assistance is a non-profit corporation providing legal assistance to people whose income is 125 percent of the federal income poverty guidelines or less. It also has developed and maintains the HelpMeLaw web site (www.helpmelaw.org) which lists other organizations in Maine that offer legal information and assistance.
Prison Industry
Maine Department of Corrections
State House 111
Augusta, ME 04333
Phone: (207) 287-4364
Fax: (207) 287-4370
Website: www.maine.gov/corrections/
- The Maine Department of Corrections operates a prison industries program in five of its adult facilities. Areas of manufacturing include woodworking, clothing, embroidery, upholstery/re-upholstery, license plates, wood harvesting and engraving. More information is available on the web site, www.state.me.us/corrections.
Probation and Parole Division
P.O. Box 3098
Auburn, ME 04212
Phone: (207) 783-5382
Website: www.maine.gov/corrections/
- Parole/Probation in Maine is under the direction of the Department of Corrections. When released from incarceration, offenders may or may not be subject to post-release supervision. Courts may require post-release supervision as part of an offender's sentence. There is limited assistance offered to an individual with a criminal history in finding employment during the post-release supervision period. Assistance is usually given in the form of a referral to the Maine Department of Labor's Career Center. (See Section VII.)
Set Free in Maine
RR 1, 674 Riverside Road
Augusta, ME 04330
Phone: (207) 622-4709
Fax: (207) 622-4709
Set Free in Maine is a 10-year-old faith-based organization. Employment and life skills training are offered to former offenders upon release. Set Free in Maine has a working woodshop that employs former prisoners. Income generated from the sale of furniture is the funding mechanism for the program. Referrals to the program are made by religious organizations that operate within the prison system. Individual mentoring begins three to six months prior to release. Inmates are matched with a mentor in the area where the inmate is going to return. Set Free in Maine tries to meet individual needs such as housing and offering anger management groups.
