Vermont
Articles
09/11/2008 – The Burlington Free Press: “Prison Shuffle Under Way”, by Terri Hallenbeck
“Some of the 240 inmates at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans Town have moved out, and construction crews have moved in. By January, all of the men will leave what has been the home to some of the state’s most hardened criminals. A few weeks later, women will move in.”
“The state is undergoing a prison shuffle that means change not only to the buildings but to the lives of staff and inmates.”
05/02/2008 – The Barre-Montpelier Times Argus: “Tentative Deal Would Close Waterbury’s Dale Women’s Prison”, by Daniel Barlow
“House and Senate lawmakers reached a tentative compromise Thursday on a massive plan to overhaul Vermont’s prison system.”
05/01/2008 – The Burlington Free Press: “Lawmakers Agree to Restructure Prisons”, by Nancy Remsen
“Legislative negotiators agreed Wednesday that Vermont’s prison system will be shuffled, with all female inmates moving to St. Albans, a new work camp for men coming to Windsor and the Dale unit in Waterbury closing.”
04/28/2008 – The Barre-Montpelier Times Argus: “House Shackles Prisons Proposals”, by Daniel Barlow
“The massive prison reorganization plan aimed at controlling the growing Vermont Department of Corrections budget has opened up a divide between some members of the Legislature.”
04/23/2008 – WCAX-TV News: “Douglas: Act on Prison Reorganization”, by Kristin Carlson
“Gov. Jim Douglas, R-Vermont, says lawmakers should act this session on a plan to reorganize Vermont’s prison system.”
01/17/2008 – The Rutland Herald: “Spend Less On Prisons, More On Treatment?”, by Daniel Barlow
“Senate lawmakers unveiled a plan Wednesday to cut spending on Vermont’s corrections system by closing a Waterbury prison and focusing more efforts on treating nonviolent criminals in local communities.”
01/13/2008 – The Rutland Herald: “Experts: Prison Plan to Save $6M”, by Louis Porter
“It looks like help is on the way for one of the state’s most persistent problems: the cost of incarcerating prisoners and monitoring them when they get out.”
01/10/2008 – The Boston Globe: “Report Says State Could Save $54 Million in Corrections Costs”
“As state leaders struggle with growing Corrections Department costs, a consultant’s report says Vermont could save $54 million and decrease the prison population by 436 inmates over the next decade by making five changes.”
01/10/2008 – Burlington Free Press: “Corrections Study Finds $54 Million in Savings”, by Terri Hallenbeck
“Vermont could save $54 million and reduce the prison population by 436 inmates over the next 10 years by making five changes to the state’s public safety system, a consultant reported Wednesday.”
01/10/2008 – WCAX-TV News: “Growing Prison Population Poses Problem for State”
“Members of all three branches of state government gathered in Montpelier Wednesday evening to try to find a solution to Vermont’s growing prison population.”
01/10/2008 – Brattleboro Reformer: “Prison Overcrowding May Result in Sending Inmates Out of State”, by Nicole Orne
” A report released Tuesday from the Council of State Governments Justice Center suggests Vermont’s prison population will increase 23 percent over the next 10 years.”
12/23/2007 – The Boston Globe: “Facing Inmate Overflow, State Starts Looking for Alternatives”, by Wilson Ring
“For almost two decades, the Vermont Corrections Department has grappled with ever larger numbers of inmates being sent their way…Now, lawmakers are saying enough and trying to put the brakes on the growth in both the budget and the inmate population.”
12/13/2007 – The Rutland Herald: “Corrections Looking to Save $4M”, by Wilson Ring
“The Vermont Department of Corrections is considering closing one of the state’s prisons and releasing some nonviolent offenders from state supervision as part of an effort to pare $4 million from next year’s budget.”
11/18/2007 – The Rutland Herald: “Inmate Crowding Abates Slightly”, by Louis Porter
“The number of Vermont prisoners — in state and in leased cells out of state — has dropped from 2,196 to 2,157 since 2004. The total population under the supervision of the Department of Corrections, including those inside Vermont’s prisons, in out-of-state facilities and out on probation is at just under 12,000, its lowest point in a decade.”
10/27/2007 – Bangor Daily News: “Maine Lawmakers Look to Vermont for Unified Corrections Systems”, by Eric Russell
“As Maine prepares for a potential corrections overhaul, the question arises: Can something that works for Vermont also work for Maine?”
09/13/2007 – Bennington Banner: “In-State Prisoner Population Stabilizing”, by Neal Goswami
“Several pieces of legislation passed in recent years have begun to show signs of stabilizing the prison population, according to John Perry, director of planning for the Vermont Department of Corrections.”
06/30/2007 – The Bennington Banter: “Prison Population Rises at Rapid Pace”, by Mike Gleason
“Vermont had the nation’s second-highest percentage increase in prison inmate population in 2006, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.”
05/09/2007 – The Brattleboro Reformer: “Correcting Correctional Costs”
“It has been overshadowed by the debate over education spending, but the cost of running Vermont’s corrections system is rising as rapidly as the cost of running our schools.”
04/25/2007 – Burlington Free Press: “Vermont Prison Overhaul Proposed”, by Nancy Remsen
“Frustrated by the spiraling cost of corrections, Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington, suggested Tuesday that the state close its most expensive prison, change who’s incarcerated at two other correctional facilities and ship more inmates to cheaper, out-of-state prisons. He predicted the changes might save about $4 million.”
04/20/2007 – The Barre Montpelier Times Argus: “Vermont Prison System Needs Immediate Fix”, by Louis Porter
“The problem has been clear for years: The number of Vermonters in custody or under supervision of the state’s corrections system is growing at a rapid rate, causing prison overcrowding and increases in expense that officials say the state will have trouble supporting.”
04/19/2007 – The Boston Globe: “State Working with National Group to Tackle Prison Issues”, by Ross Sneyd
“Leaders of all three branches of Vermont state government committed themselves at an unusual gathering Thursday to work together as they tackle why the state’s prison population is bulging, driving spending to unsustainable levels.”
Audio
05/06/2008 – VPR Regional News: “VT Edition: Richard Sears, Rob Hoffmann & Matt Valerio on Controlling Prison Costs”, by Jane Lindholm
“With Vermont’s corrections costs spiraling out of control, officials from all branches of government have been working on a plan to close one Vermont prison and change how several other facilities are used. The resulting savings will be re-invested in transitional housing and substance abuse programs. Experts say the plan, which was just approved by the Legislature, would not only save $3.5 million by 2010, but also curb recidivism and make Vermont’s communities safer. VPR’s Jane Lindholm talks about the plan with Vermont Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann, Dick Sears, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee and Defender General, Matt Valerio.”