Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) will chair a field hearing of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, March 22, in Barre, Vermont. The hearing will examine the effective efforts of Barre and surrounding communities in fighting drug-related crime. Leahy has invited the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, R. Gil Kerlikowske – the nation’s “drug czar” – to testify at the hearing. Kerlikowske is the former police chief in Seattle, and has almost 40 years of law enforcement experience. Judiciary Committee Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), a former prosecutor, will also attend. Leahy chairs the Senate panel, and noticed the hearing on “Effective Community Efforts to Counter Drug-Related Crime in Rural America” on Friday.

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A local pilot program that offers a break to repeat nonviolent criminal offenders if they take a 10-week life-skills course is working so well that Chittenden County State’s Attorney T.J. Donovan is hoping the program someday can go statewide. To date, 15 participants — all women who have been in jail or on probation for past offenses — have enrolled in the course called “Getting Ahead,” now marking the end of its first year. Only one of the 15 has run afoul of the law, a finding that Donovan said was striking. “The early returns look positive,” Donovan said. “It says this program is worth pursuing. It can help reduce recidivism, help people on the road to recovery and success, and save the taxpayers of Vermont money.”

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Ashley Ellis, a 23-year-old anorexic who was convicted of a misdemeanor traffic offense, died in prison last August — just two days after she was incarcerated at Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans — because she didn’t receive the medication she needed. Not long after, the Vermont Department of Corrections decided not to renew its contract with Prison Health Services, Inc., the corporation that has been responsible for inmate medical care in the state since 2005, and invited other companies to bid for the contract. The company that rose to the top of the list and has been in negotiations with the state since October, Correct Care Solutions, is relatively new.

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The negative effects of mandatory furlough days imposed throughout the Vermont court system to save money have been building, making timely access to justice an increasingly difficult goal. Public Defender Frederick Bragdon says he first noticed a lag about a year ago. "One of the problems is getting the court time to do what we need to do," he said. Before the cutbacks, if a case were to be set in January for sentencing the hearing might be within a month or two. Now, the same case set for sentencing in January isn't likely to see a hearing until summer, he said, adding that delays in cases add to the anxiety of complaining witnesses who may be awaiting restitution, as well as his clients, who also want closure.

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The Rutland Herald reports that Windsor residents will "soon see inmates contributing to the community as the Southeast State Correctional Facility moves from a women's prison to a men's work camp." Currently, "the prison is empty, with the last of the women transferred Jan. 10 to Northwest State Correctional Facility in Swanton. For the past week, the staff has undergone training to prepare for 100 men who will arrive in early February, said Superintendent David Bovat." When the Windsor facility opens in February, it will "host the second work camp in the state." Notably, "the offenders chosen for the camp are considered low-risk compared to the general population, with no violent felony convictions."

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The Burlington Free Press reports that over the past two years, "the number of female inmates in Vermont's prison system has dropped 40 percent, thanks in part to programs specifically designed to keep them out of prison." State Sen. Richard Sears, who chairs the Legislature's Corrections Oversight Committee, called the drop "dramatic." He added that "credit should go to those who made a variety of treatment and social programs available to female offenders." For example, the new female prison in St. Albans is "designed to help address the special issues women face." At the St. Albans' facility, "programs will teach [female inmates] skills that include construction. In addition, "a section of the prison is devoted to mentally ill inmates and women will be able to work in the garden, greenhouse, print shop and other vocational programs."

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The Brattleboro Reformer reports that "the Brattleboro Police Department had a busy year in 2008 as officers responded to more than 10,000 calls" Of those calls, more than ten percent fell into the "Suspicious Person or Circumstance" category. Indeed, "there were 1,267 calls that came in response to a caller who was frightened or worried about a noise, a person, or [a] vehicle seen outside their home." In 2008, the police also investigated 21 incidences of aggravated assault, 76 incidences of simple assault and 66 burglaries, 28 of which were forced entry. Link to article

Vermont Public Radio reports that a new Vermont bill "calls for people to give a DNA sample when they're charged with a felony or with misdemeanor domestic assault or certain sex crimes." According to Senator Richard Sears of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the bill "would expand the number of people required to give DNA samples [and] will probably be amended to give the state more time to be ready [to] process the influx of samples." Sears conculded, "The extra time will be needed so the Vermont Forensic Laboratory can move into a larger facility.

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Vermont Public Radio reports that Col. James Baker, director of the Vermont State Police, planns to retire by no later than June 30th of next year. "Baker has served as a Vermont State Police trooper since 1978. He became the top officer in 2006." Vermont Public Safety Commissioner Thomas Tremblay says "he's grateful for Baker's leadership and his giving plenty of notice that he is planning to retire."

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Vermont Public Radio reports that "a test of Vermont's Amber Alert system - a law enforcement program to get notifications out quickly when children go missing - turned up a problem Thursday morning." Indeed, "Vermont State Police officials say a mass e-mail that was supposed to go a large number of recipients did not work as planned." By Thursday afternoon, "authorities say they were able to correct the problem." Vermont has only used the alert program once, "this past June when 12-year-old Brooke Bennett of Braintree disappeared. She was later found dead and her uncle, 42-year-old Michael Jacques of Randolph, has been charged with abducting, raping and killing her."

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Vermont Public Radio reports that "Senator Patrick Leahy plans to come to St. Albans next week to chair a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on rural crime." The hearing will "focus on drug-related crimes and efforts to address drug abuse through prevention, treatment and enforcement." Leahy said "he's hoping to learn what the federal government can do to help small communities like St. Albans deal with the recent growth in drug-related crimes." Those scheduled to testify at the hearing include law enforcement officials and drug prevention specialists.

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The Bennington Banner reports that according to Bennington Police Detective Peter Urbanowicz, "Police started noticing spray painting, referred to as 'tagging,' of gang symbols around [Bennington] in the late spring and early summer, and it has continued." In addition, "alleged gang members have also been recently prosecuted on assault, drug and larceny charges in Bennington District Court," and there has been "evidence of gang activity, such as initiation rituals." Indeed, "police know of 'beat-in' or 'jump-in' initiations occurring in town where potential gang members were forced to fight a number of existing members in order to join. [Police] have not found evidence of 'sexed-in' initiations where female members would have to perform sexual acts to gain entry, but with female members present, it is a possibility." Notably, "the activity has mostly been associated with the Bloods, a nationwide gang that has broken down into numerous regional sub-groups. But there has been evidence of the Crips, the Bloods' long-standing rival, in town and of the Hells Angels, a worldwide motorcycle gang that claims to be law-abiding."

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Vermont Public Radio reports that Col. James Baker, head of the Vermont State Police, "thinks the tough economic times [are] leading to an increase in crime in the state." So far this year, the state has seen 19 homicides. "The state usually averages between 9 and 12." Baker commented that a "Wednesday shootout between a state trooper and a Proctor man, who was wounded in the melee, is one of many desperate criminal acts that have occurred recently."

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Vermont Public Radio reports that the Vermont American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)is questioning a proposal by the Senate Judiciary Committee's to "start collecting genetic samples from people arraigned on felony crimes," saying the "proposal could violate a person's right to privacy and put innocent people under surveillance." Under current law DNA samples are only requiredfrom people convicted of felonies. Lawmakersmaintain thatthe proposedchange will "help protect Vermonters from violent criminals." ButAllen Gilbert, head of the Vermont ACLU, worries about the DNA collected from individuals who arefound not guilty or who areconvicted of a misdemeanor.

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Vermont Public Radio reports that corrections officials hope to sign a contract with the an Alabama prison to send between 60 to 80 violent Vermont prisoners out of state. According to outgoing Corrections Commissioner Robert Hofmann, "[The] focus will be [to send] offenders who are 'unacceptable to be placed with a majority of other prisoners.'" In addition, "some of the state's inmates currently housed in prisons in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Arizona could be moved to Alabama." Notably, "once the move is complete, about 10 percent of the state's out-of-state inmates would be in Alabama and most of the others at a facility in Kentucky."

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