Vermont corrections says remote court hearings are straining staff; seeks more transports or on-site court staff

Commissioner Nick Dimal, commissioner of corrections for the state of Vermont, told a joint meeting of the House Committee on Corrections and the House Committee on Judiciary that remote court proceedings held inside correctional facilities have become a daily, resource-consuming responsibility for DOC staff and are undermining other corrections work.

"There is not a single member of the Department of Corrections whose job or training or education is on running court," Dimal said, describing how caseworkers and correctional officers are now scheduling hearings, moving people around facilities and handling court paperwork because judges are relying on remote connections.

The concern, Dimal said, is threefold: limited physical space and technology inside facilities, reduced staff capacity for DOC’s core duties such as reentry planning and treatment referrals, and uneven scheduling from courts that requests multiple defendants be presented at the same time. "We have finally written a policy saying, these are the only things we will do because we cannot do it," he said, noting DOC set limited time blocks and prioritized certain hearings to protect other operations.

Why it matters: DOC officials told lawmakers the shift is increasing the state’s docket backlog rather than reducing it, and is transferring the burden of conducting justice from the judiciary to corrections. Dimal said remote hearings can leave incarcerated defendants…