Vermont corrections officials outline facility upgrades, pretrial supervision pilot and $3M Wi‑Fi shortfall

Senate Institutions Committee Chair Wendy Harrison and representatives from the Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) heard a wide-ranging briefing Feb. 5 on the state corrections system, including a newly launched pretrial supervision pilot, deferred maintenance and capital needs, and a shortfall in funding for Wi‑Fi and technology upgrades.

Al Cormier, chief of operations with the Vermont Department of Corrections, told the committee the department is operating a unified corrections system that houses both sentenced and detained people and also supervises probation and parole in the community. "The goal of pretrial supervision is to assist with getting people to court in a timely fashion," Cormier said, describing a pilot program now operating in Essex and Lamoille counties and scheduled to expand to Caledonia County in coming months.

Why it matters: Committee members framed the briefing as a look at near‑term investments that could affect public safety, staff retention and operating costs. Members pressed DOC on staffing for the pretrial pilot, technology that could speed investigations, and the capital timeline for a proposed new women’s facility.

Cormier said the department was allocated five pretrial positions and roughly $550,000 but that funding did not cover all five hires. He said the department has hired one pretrial supervision officer in Newport and is recruiting another in St. Johnsbury. He also said about 500 people in DOC custody are being held as detainees — the highest recent level the department has recorded — and that DOC is using…