Senate Institutions Committee interviews three Parole Board members, signals support for reappointments

MONTPELIER — The Vermont Senate Committee on Institutions on May 6 interviewed three members of the Vermont Parole Board and conducted a straw-poll showing committee support for reappointing them, Committee Chair Sen. Wendy Harrison said.

The interviews centered on how board members evaluate candidates for parole, the role of trauma-informed care and community supports in reducing recidivism, and whether parole hearings should return to in-person formats. Committee members also asked staff and legislators to check for additional witnesses for an upcoming hearing referenced as involving John Gray.

Katie Aiken, a member of the Parole Board and a licensed clinical social worker, described using trauma-informed and motivational interviewing techniques when questioning candidates. “Nothing is ever cookie cutter,” Aiken said, adding that the board weighs programming completed in custody, voluntary self-improvement efforts, disciplinary history and the candidate’s willingness to change. She told the committee she asks candidates, “What do you think you'll need coming out to be successful?” to encourage buy-in for release plans.

Aiken said hearings have been held virtually since her appointment and that board members rotate hearing days; the board’s schedule includes multiple hearing days each week with members covering different days. She said she reviews both the case summaries prepared by corrections staff and the offenders’ self-reported answers to look for inconsistencies and to probe for specifics rather than broad statements.

Patricia Boucher, a long-serving board member who said she was originally appointed by Gov. Howard Dean, said she serves as vice chair and alternates hearing days with the board chair, Dean George. Boucher described regular training for board members, with in-person meetings once a month in the summer and Teams meetings in winter, and said the board has increased victim participation over time. Boucher told the committee she tries to keep personal emotion from driving decisions and to treat each case individually.

Samantha Drake, an alternate board member who also works at the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services in the restitution unit, described connecting both victims and supervised people with community resources, including restorative-justice programs. Drake said alternates on the board participate in hearings roughly once a week and that, in her view, serving as an alternate has been substantively the same as serving as a regular member.

Committee members pressed all three on whether in-person hearings provide better information than virtual hearings. Members of the board said hearings moved to Teams during COVID and that the panel still holds some in-person meetings in summer; several committee members and witnesses expressed a preference for returning to more in-person interaction where feasible.

Throughout the interviews senators raised reentry concerns, particularly housing and wraparound services. Boucher and others said lack of stable housing and supports makes it harder to parole people successfully and increases the risk of reoffending. Committee members asked the board whether they receive routine follow-up on how people fare after release; board members said they typically do not get systematic updates unless someone returns to the board because of violations.

After the interviews the committee conducted an informal straw poll indicating support for reappointing the three board members. Committee staff also requested that members review whether additional witnesses are needed for a separate scheduled hearing and notify staff promptly.

Sen. Wendy Harrison, chair of the Senate Committee on Institutions, closed the session by thanking the parole board members for their service and noting the committee would forward their information to the appropriate channels for consideration.

The committee also used the meeting to confirm logistics for upcoming work, including a potential site visit to correctional facilities and a separate hearing referenced for “John Gray.”