Vermont Commission on Prison Overcrowding

Vermont is struggling with a prison population growing uncontrollably. Below is the Executive Summary of the findings of the Commission.
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Accumulating and corrosive overcrowding in Vermont’s correctional system has taken a
serious toll on offenders, the Department of Corrections, Vermont communities, and the
state’s budget. Bold action must be taken to bring the problem to a manageable level.

The legislature, DOC, and the Administration have some good choices for reducing both
overcrowding and the overall cost of Corrections, while in the process avoiding the
construction of another major correctional institution.

Using a combination of GPS technology for both non-violent detainees and sentenced prisoners, discharging persons who are ready to be released, establishing one work camp per year for each of three years, and employing a variety of other techniques, could result in bringing back all out
of state inmates, greatly reducing overcrowding thus making the system work better, providing for inevitable growth over the next decade, and avoiding many millions of dollars of unnecessary General Fund expenditures.

At some point, if a major institution is required, it should not be a general population
facility, but should be one designed to provide short term confinement for detainees who
are not suitable for release.

Implementing these recommendations will: lower overall correction costs; bring capacity
back in line with demand; allow the regional system to be used as it was designed; and
greatly soften the serious, demoralizing, and financially crippling effects of overcrowding
on staff, offenders, and Vermont communities.

This Commission has proposed what we believe to be imaginative and achievable
solutions, which if implemented, would have far reaching benefits not only to the
corrections system but to the State’s General Fund health. Millions of dollars could be
saved by doing business in new ways (see Appendix 1) to help solve other important
problems such as drug treatment or health care needs.

Refocusing our efforts throughout the criminal justice system to achieve the statutory
purposes as articulated in Title 28, is essential to reforming the system.