Vermont public-safety officials cite rising violent and property crime; courts report improved clearance but slow case dispositions

At a joint hearing of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, Jennifer Morrison, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Public Safety, told legislators that communities are “tired of repeat offenders harming their communities” and described rising numbers in violent and property crime across the state.

Morrison said Vermont recorded 22 homicide victims in 2024 (compared with 26 in 2023 and 24 in 2022) and that aggravated-assault and theft categories have increased markedly in recent years. “The hot stove rule — the hot stove rules real quick, works real fast because you touch the hot stove once and you learn not to do it again,” Morrison said when arguing for swifter, more certain consequences.

State court administrators and judges briefed the committees on court workload data and reforms intended to shorten time to disposition. The judiciary reported 46,141 incoming trial-court cases and 48,714 outgoing cases for fiscal year 2024, a statewide clearance rate of 105%. Across divisions the criminal division’s clearance rate was reported at about 109% (107% for felonies, 109% for misdemeanors), while the family division’s statewide clearance rate was 97%. The juvenile docket had a reported clearance rate of 109%.

Why it matters: legislators framed the hearing around two linked problems — how crime and repeat offending affect community safety and downtown business vitality, and how long waits for final court action prolong pretrial status and limit the justice system’s ability to impose timely consequences. Morrison and committee members said both data and community perceptions matter: even where Vermont remains relatively safe statewide, local…