There are 338 probationers or parolees from other states under supervision in Maine and 273 Maine probationers or parolees living in other states.

It’s an arrangement made possible under the Interstate Compact for Adult Probationers and Parolees, which allows people on probation and parole to move from state to state with permission from the court.

The compact came under scrutiny last fall after a parolee who moved to Maine from Utah was charged with kidnapping, raping and murdering a Colby College student.

Edward Hackett moved to Vassalboro in March to be with his parents after he was paroled from the Utah State Prison, where he had been jailed for nine years for kidnapping and robbery.

After Hackett was arrested Sept. 22, the commissioner of the Maine Department of Corrections launched a review of his department’s policies for all out-of-state parolees and probationers.

Commissioner Martin Magnusson concluded that officials in Maine went by the book in handling the case.

But he also suggested improvements to the current system, including a recommendation that a risk and needs assessment of an applicant and an initial treatment plan be conducted and put in place before an applicant moves to Maine.

Although the Legislature abolished Maine’s parole program in 1976 after people expressed uneasiness with decisions made by the five-member parole board, the state still has a parole board and parole officers to deal with people sentenced under the old system. It includes 10 people in prison and 32 people who have been released on parole and are living in local communities.

lchmelecki@sunjournal.com

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