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South Burlington police chief: system needs backstops, not only restorative programs amid Raise the Age debate
Summary
Chief Sean Burke told the Vermont House Judiciary Committee that while restorative and community justice approaches work for many youths, the state lacks a backstop for juveniles and young adults who refuse services, creating escalating criminal behavior once they turn 18.
Chief Sean Burke, chief of police in the city of South Burlington and a member of the Vermont Association of Chiefs of Police executive board, told the House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 22 that Vermont’s juvenile and young-adult justice system lacks effective “backstops” for people who refuse treatment or otherwise decline to change behavior.
“We desperately need the funding to operate our community justice centers,” Burke said, adding that community-based restorative practices can work for those “willing to accept responsibility for their actions.” He also warned that a subset of youths who do not engage with services know that family-court probation ends at adulthood and therefore have “no incentive to change their behavior.”
Burke said the problem shows up in multiple ways: juveniles waiting in police department lobbies because there is “no place to go,” probation that…
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