A Maine lawmaker has put forward a proposal that would create certain incarcerated individuals to obtain loans so that they can improve their creditworthiness.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Daniel Sayre (D-Kennebunk), would allow prisoners in Maine’s correctional facilities to access special loans and then use those funds on certain limited expenses.

“This bill allows, under rules established by the Commissioner of Corrections, a juvenile
or adult client of a correctional or detention facility to obtain a loan from a financial institution or credit union,” says the summary of LD 97, An Act to Facilitate the Improvement of Credit Scores of Residents of Department of Corrections Facilities.

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In keeping with the style of restorative justice philosophy, the proposal conspicuously avoids referring to the criminals as “prisoners” except when proposing an amendment to existing laws that already use that language.

Instead, the bill euphemistically refers to the prisoners as “residents” or “clients” of the prison system.

In addition to allowing prisoners to receive loans, the bill would amend existing law to exempt the loans from being used to pay restitution for damaged property or injured victims, nor fines imposed upon their conviction.

Maine prisoners are required to pay 25 percent of money they receive, with a few exceptions, toward restitution or fines if they have been ordered by a court to pay either.

While Sayre presented the bill, it was originally submitted by the Maine Department of Corrections, as allowed under the legislature’s joint rules.

Currently, the bill has no co-sponsors and has a with a public hearing set for Monday, January 27 in the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.

The Maine Wire reached out to Sayre, asking for a comment on the bill, but he did not respond.