Maine Revised Statutes Title 25. Internal Security and Public Safety § 2804-D. Basic corrections training

1. Required. As a condition to the continued employment of any person as a corrections officer, that person must successfully complete, within the first 12 months of employment, a basic training course as approved by the board. The board may approve a separate basic training course and certification standards for juvenile corrections officers. Thereafter, as a condition of continued employment as a corrections officer, the officer must satisfactorily maintain the basic certification. The board, under extenuating and emergency circumstances in individual cases, may extend the 12-month period for not more than 180 days. The board, in individual cases, may waive basic training requirements when the facts indicate that an equivalent course has been successfully completed in another state or federal jurisdiction. A full-time correctional trade instructor must meet the training requirements established under this subsection for corrections officers. Beginning January 1, 2018, the basic training course must include 8 hours of training in how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorder that is provided by a trainer who is certified by a nationally recognized organization that provides evidence-based mental health training. Beginning January 1, 2024, the basic training course must include a block of instruction on the confidentiality of attorney-client communications, including the processes that correctional facilities and jails use to protect and ensure the confidentiality of attorney-client communications and the processes that correctional facilities and jails follow in the event that there is a breach of attorney-client confidentiality.