Vermont corrections chief urges $3.5 million Wi‑Fi push, flags costly offender‑management upgrade

Department of Corrections Commissioner Nick Demel told the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee on Feb. 6 that the agency’s information technology is “antiquated” and that installing Wi‑Fi across correctional facilities is the department’s highest short‑term priority.

Demel, identified himself as “the commissioner of corrections for the state of Vermont,” and said the department has about 1,500 people incarcerated daily, roughly 4,000 individuals under community supervision and about 1,000 staff. He said the department’s offender management system (OMS) is contracted to a private vendor, the contract expires in March 2026, and the system is difficult to change and use. “I think I will generously describe [our IT infrastructure] as antiquated,” Demel said.

The lack of Wi‑Fi in housing units means many routine security and program tasks remain paper‑based, he told the committee. “Officer will then go to their living unit where they work ... and when they do their checks ... they go back. They write down ... I walk around the unit. At this time, I’ll initial it. That’s all paper analog. We’re not capturing any of that data,” Demel said. He told members the legislature funded a heat‑mapping study that identified placement of wireless access points and estimated the cost to install Wi‑Fi at about $3.5 million.

Why it matters

The department argued the Wi‑Fi would unlock multiple operational and program improvements, including digital logbooks, inventory systems, vocational and higher‑education access, remote and asynchronous learning with Community College of Vermont courses, and medical monitoring for medically vulnerable people in custody. Demel said the federal broadband funds the state is receiving name correctional facilities as eligible recipients and that the department has sought support from the state Community Broadband Board without success.

Details from the hearing

Offender management system: Demel and department staff said the current OMS was implemented about eight years ago, is “off‑the‑shelf” software adapted for Vermont’s unified corrections system and is toward the end of its contract (March 2026). The department issued a request for information and received replacement cost estimates; Demel said the lowest non‑current‑vendor quote he recalled was about $41 million. The department expects to seek a contract extension to provide runway while planning a next‑generation approach.

Data fragmentation and integration: Department staff described separate, partially integrated systems for education records, electronic health records and telecommunication/tablet services. Krista Murray (Department of Corrections) said the OMS currently has nearly 20 data interfaces with other agencies and that the department maintains an in‑house data and research team to pull and analyze data. Demel said a goal for any replacement is to create a centrally governed “data lake” with permissioned access so agencies such as DCF and the Department of Mental Health could share appropriate data while protecting medical or security information.

Wi‑Fi and programs: Demel said every person in custody currently has a contractor‑provided tablet in each of the department’s six facilities, and the department also operates a separate secure education network for accredited Community High School of Vermont/Community College of Vermont (CCV) teaching. He said the education network is limited to classrooms; widespread unit Wi‑Fi would allow virtual and asynchronous classes, expand vocational technical education and ease staff workflow by enabling digital checklists and real‑time reporting.

Funding and procurement: The department said it has the heat map and technical plan and has pursued Community Broadband Board funds and other grants, but has not obtained the requested support. Demel said the department can pursue state procurement vehicles or state contracts to deploy equipment if funding is provided; he estimated the total to install Wi‑Fi across facilities at about $3.5 million and said equipment leasing options could spread cost.

Readiness and timing: Department staff said they are prepared to move quickly if funding were available, and that an RFP or procurement could be developed using the completed heat mapping. On the larger OMS replacement, Demel said work on a new procurement or design would likely be two to three years out and that the department had set aside some funds for experiments but not nearly enough for a full replacement.

Other operational notes

- The department operates a unified system (jail, prison and community supervision), which complicates data needs because jail populations are transient and prison populations are longer‑term. - The department uses electronic monitoring devices provided by vendors; the approval is captured in the OMS but location tracking is accessed through the monitoring vendor’s system. - Court data does not currently flow automatically into the OMS; staff said a prioritized data link with the judiciary would reduce manual entry and staff time.

What the committee asked and what staff requested

Committee members pressed on costs, timelines and the broadband board’s responses. Demel and Krista Murray asked for committee help in getting the Wi‑Fi project on the list of broadband‑funded projects and noted that the department has documentation and vendor pathways ready if funding were approved.

Ending

Department officials framed Wi‑Fi as an immediate enabler of staff efficiency, resident education and certain health‑safety tools, while the OMS replacement was described as a longer, more expensive effort. No funding decision was made during the hearing; staff said they would continue to pursue broadband board funding and legislative avenues to finance deployment.