State officials urge pause on April 1 expansion to include 19‑year‑olds, citing staffing and capacity gaps

Vermont Legislature’s Judiciary Committee — Department of Public Safety and Department for Children and Families officials told the committee on Jan. 21 they recommend pausing or delaying the planned April 1 expansion of delinquency jurisdiction to include 19‑year‑olds, citing staff shortages, limited secure placement capacity and mixed evidence on whether such expansions reduce future offending.

Tucker Jones, assistant general counsel at the Vermont Department of Public Safety, framed the committee’s decision as a “go/no‑go” call about whether to implement the April 1 deadline. Jones said he had collected testimony from prosecutors, DCF social workers and outside research and told lawmakers the on‑the‑ground feedback was concerning. “It’s going to double all the problems I have now with 18 year olds,” Jones said, quoting frontline prosecutors and social workers who described workforce strain and rising needs among youth.

The department’s warning rested on three types of “weather reports,” Jones said: (1) testimony from DCF workers and union representatives who told lawmakers the system was strained; (2) written comments from state’s attorneys and sheriffs to the joint legislative justice oversight body; and (3) academic literature. Jones read excerpts from a 2022 Massachusetts study by Charles Loeffler that, he said, found “Contrary to…