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 an out‑of‑state contract with CoreCivic that currently houses about 115 people because of in‑state bed shortages.

Facilities and deferred maintenance: Cormier walked members through the DOC facility portfolio, describing five male facilities, one women’s facility at Chittenden (often referenced as the state’s women’s facility), several regional facilities and the state training academy. He characterized many buildings as older and designed originally as detention rather than program facilities. "We have nearly $4,000,000 in maintenance upkeep and, he added, cited a deferred‑maintenance figure of about $1.212 billion," Cormier said, noting that those numbers reflect current estimates the department is managing with the Agency of Administration and the Department of Buildings and General Services (BGS).

Cormier said some sites offer program space and infirmary beds; for example, Springfield has a relatively large infirmary used increasingly for an aging incarcerated population and for mental‑health units, while the plate shop that manufactures state license plates remains a retained industry operation at the St. Albans facility.

Capital and ADA work: Committee members and DOC staff discussed a multi‑year capital plan and a current capital request tied to a proposed new women’s facility. Cormier told the committee the estimated cost for a new women's facility has been presented in a range and that the department’s capital request for the year was roughly $30 million; members noted a portion of earlier appropriations (about $15 million) remains available, though construction‑level estimates discussed during the briefing ranged higher and additional funding would be required.

Cormier also said the department is completing ADA compliance upgrades that followed a U.S. Department of Justice review and a related lawsuit; Springfield and Newport were identified as priority sites for access upgrades.

Security, HVAC and door controls: DOC described an ongoing program to replace mechanical and security systems, including a phased door‑control upgrade and HVAC projects. Cormier said Newport has had a recent door‑control overhaul, Springfield is finishing door‑control replacement, and St. Johnsbury and Marble Valley are next in the schedule. Backup generators and keyed manual overrides remain in place, Cormier said, to maintain operations during power outages.

Programming and vocational training: The briefing covered DOC’s recent shift away from Correctional Industries products such as wooden furniture and print services. Cormier said Correctional Industries ran persistent deficits and that several programs — including a wood shop and a print shop — were closed and some production moved to BGS. Instead, DOC is retooling toward vocational and technical certificates aligned to market demand: welding simulators, automotive simulators and manufacturing certification (for example, Certified Production Technician programs) are being acquired through partnerships and federal funding.

Technology and Wi‑Fi shortfall: Members pressed DOC on whether a statewide Wi‑Fi network across correctional facilities would improve staff efficiency, reduce paperwork and enable deployment of devices such as body cameras and training simulators. Cormier said a full Wi‑Fi rollout across DOC facilities is estimated at about $3 million and that BGS and DOC have completed a heat map and site planning but lack the capital to install the network. He said several hundred body cameras already purchased remain boxed and that Wi‑Fi would make those devices and other technologies more efficient to use.

Staffing and retention: Committee members linked technology gaps to staff recruitment and retention, arguing that modern tools could reduce duplicated paperwork and make shift work less burdensome. Cormier said certain units have high staff‑to‑incarcerated‑person ratios (for example, dormitory units cited as high as 50:1 or 75:1 in some settings), and that improving tools and facilities could ease workload pressures.

Next steps and oversight: Committee members requested facility tours and briefed DOC on possible short‑term funding shifts to start a Wi‑Fi installation while capital planning for a new women’s facility continues. Committee members also noted the department’s continued work with BGS on ADA and HVAC projects and asked DOC to return with updates on the pretrial pilot expansion, recruitment for pretrial positions, and a prioritized list of technology needs that could be funded in the upcoming budget cycle.

Ending: DOC did not present any formal votes or binding committee actions during the briefing. Committee members adjourned to receive the Department of Fish and Wildlife later in the afternoon.