Vermont corrections ask Legislature for $1 million to install facility Wi‑Fi for training, cameras and staff efficiency

The Department of Corrections told the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure committee on March 18 that it is seeking roughly $1 million in state funding to begin installing wireless internet across correctional facilities so staff can use digital records, body‑worn camera systems and remote education programs.

Commissioner Nick Demel, the commissioner of corrections, told the committee: “correctional systems need Wi Fi in order to advance and continue to modernize.” He said the technology is a top priority for the department and the governor because it can help automate routine tasks, reduce staff workload and enable vocational and college courses for incarcerated people.

Demel described current operations as largely paper‑based: staff keep paper logbooks that are not aggregated into searchable databases, and routine inventory and shift checks are recorded by hand. “We have the opportunity right today to switch to digital log books where we're capturing that data,” he said, adding that body‑worn cameras planned to come online in the next several months will be more effective if video can be transmitted over a wireless network rather than only when devices are docked.

The department also said wireless access would support Career and Technical Education and Community College of Vermont (CCV) courses for incarcerated students. Demel said the state has a $5,000,000 federal earmark intended to expand free community college education for incarcerated people and corrections staff; he said that earmark’s use is constrained while facilities lack wireless connectivity.

On costs, Demel said the department originally requested roughly $3 million to purchase and install equipment but has restructured the request to about $1 million by pursuing lease models that vendors now offer. He described leasing as “a fee for service” that lowers upfront costs and shifts replacement responsibility to the vendor. Demel also cited an older procurement analysis that estimated roughly $3.3 million to buy and install a system; he said the department expects higher recurring fees under a lease but lower initial outlay and less risk of obsolescence.

Demel said the state’s Agency of Digital Services (ADS) is now working with the department on design, and that the department cannot issue an RFP until funding is available. He added that some IT modernization seed money through ADS could offset preliminary work.

Committee members pressed on technical and policy details. Demel said the system would be a state‑owned wireless network used for the department’s mission: staff devices and authorized educational devices would access the network, but inmates would not have open, personal web access. He explained that educational tablets used for CCV coursework would be locked to approved learning content and would access the network in a controlled way. He also said staff are currently not allowed to carry personal cell phones into facilities and that only state‑issued devices would be expected to access the new network.

No RFP process has begun because funding is not yet secured, Demel said. The department continues to pursue federal broadband and digital equity funds and has met repeatedly with the Vermont Broadband Board and other state actors to seek those allocations, he said; but if those sources do not materialize the department will seek general fund support.

Committee members expressed broad support for the request and indicated they expect the Corrections Committee to send an updated, simplified letter to Appropriations supporting approximately $1 million for the project. Representative Kathleen James and other members said the measure is intended to address workforce pressures and improve rehabilitation opportunities.

Next steps: committee members said they would vote on an updated funding‑support letter; the department will continue coordination with ADS and refine cost and procurement plans once funding is available.