In 1978, the Maine Legislature passed laws mandating the Trustees of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy to establish standards for training for Corrections Officers. The purpose of this mandate was to ensure that no person could serve as a Corrections Officer without meeting minimal training standards. The mandate called for a basic course and regular in-service training.
The Current Basic Corrections Training Program consists of 200 hours of training over five weeks. This training is usually held at the Academy in Vassalboro although from time-to-time off site classes are conducted at other facilities with the express permission of the Academy. Although the majority of this training is directed at maintaining the care, custody and control of inmates in both State and County facilities, some courses are directly related to the safety and security of the Corrections Officer to enable the officer to cope with the long-term pressures and stress of the job.
Each year a Corrections Advisory Committee recommends to the Academy Trustees a number of topics to be presented as mandatory in-service. Those topics are comprised of two or three subjects which the individual facility determines through the use of needs assessment. To maintain certification, an officer must complete all the annual mandatory in-service Training.
The position of Part-Time Corrections Officer was eliminated as of July 2015. All officers must complete the 200 hours of training regardless if they are employed in a full-time or part-time capacity.
Everyone who successfully completes the 200 hours Basic Corrections Training Program, the Basic Corrections Certification Exam, and the 80 hour field training phase, will be certified as Full Time Corrections Officers by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy; that certification is transferrable to any corrections facility within the state.