In an effort to reduce the stigma associated with committing crimes and going to jail, Maine House of Representatives approved a bill that would rewrite portions of Maine’s statutes to replace politically incorrect terms with more nuanced, kinder terms.
Prisoner and jail inmate will be replaced with “Resident.”
As in: “He became a resident of the correctional facility after murdering two people.”
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Drug user and alcohol user are also out.
Instead, Maine’s laws will now refer to a “person who uses drugs,” and “persons with substance use disorder,” and “persons whose substance use disorder centers on alcohol.”
The term probationationer will be replaced with the phrase “person on probation.”
Able-bodied has also been left on the cutting room floor.
Now, able-bodied prisoners will be described in Maine’s laws as “physically able residents of a correctional facility.”
When prisoners are released into supervised community confinement, they will now be referred to as “clients.”
The bill was originally proposed by Rep. Nina Milliken (D-Blue Hill).
The House of Representatives approved it on Monday, 79-63.
The bill later died in the Senate on Thursday.
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