Vermont officials outline plan to replace aging Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility with new women’s reentry-focused site

On Jan. 31, the Vermont Senate Committee on IT and Institutions heard a detailed briefing from Department of Corrections staff about plans to replace the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility (CRCF), the state's only dedicated women's correctional facility, with a new, reentry-focused site likely to be sited on state-owned land in Essex.

Committee members were told CRCF is “a very dated structure, about half a century old,” carries roughly $12,000,000 in deferred maintenance, and costs about $3,000,000 annually to operate — figures the department and its partners say underpin the case for replacement. A Department of Corrections staff member said CRCF was built in the early 1970s as a detention center and “was never meant for long term habitation.”

The department framed the proposed replacement as both a facilities and a programmatic change: planners want a building with increased natural light, higher ceilings, clearer sight lines for staff, dedicated program and reentry space, and flexible housing units that support trauma-informed, gender-responsive care. “A reentry facility is something where folks go near the end of their sentence. The goal is to get them ready to reenter,” said Cathy, director of women's services for the Vermont Department of Corrections.

Why it matters

CRCF is the only statewide…