Bill > LD534

This bill establishes new legal requirements for professional investigators when they contact crime victims or witnesses, ensuring transparency and protecting individual rights. Specifically, before communicating with a victim or witness, a professional investigator must disclose the purpose of their investigation, the name of their client, the name of any defendant who might benefit from their investigation, and inform the person that they are not obligated to communicate with the investigator. The bill has additional provisions for situations involving defendants, such as requiring investigators working for criminal defense attorneys to explicitly state they are working on behalf of a defendant. If a victim or witness requests that the investigator stop contacting them, the investigator must cease communication unless the victim or witness later provides express authorization. For investigations involving minors, the investigator must first disclose the required information to a parent or guardian who is not the defendant and obtain their consent before communicating with the minor. These provisions aim to protect victims' and witnesses' rights and provide clear guidelines for professional investigators in criminal cases.

Justice

https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?LD=534&snum=132