Lawmakers Hear DCF, Advocates on 'Raise the Age' as Committee Flags Workforce, Funding and Accountability Gaps

A Judiciary Committee hearing on "Raise the Age" focused Wednesday on whether extending juvenile court jurisdiction to include 19‑year‑olds should proceed while the Department for Children and Families and community partners remain short‑staffed.

The discussion centered on capacity, accountability and the difference between juvenile delinquency jurisdiction and the "youthful offender" path into criminal court. Matthew Bernstein, the child, youth and family advocate for the state of Vermont, told the committee that the state should prioritize building services before changing jurisdictional age: "Simply, you know, accountability has many elements to it," Bernstein said, adding that incarceration can be counterproductive for many low‑level offenses.

Why it matters: Committee members and witnesses agreed the issue affects public safety, case outcomes and state budgets. Several DCF witnesses and advocates said raising the age to 19 without additional staff and community services could overload a system already reporting high caseloads and limited placement and residential capacity.

Key testimony and data

- Lindy (DCF staff) told the committee that, if Raise the Age moves forward on April 1, there are currently 152 unresolved cases that would transfer automatically to the Family Division; she said 55 of those are non‑Big‑11 felonies and 97 are misdemeanors. "Unless there's resolution, 152 cases will come to family division," Lindy said.

- Nikki (DCF staff) described front‑line capacity in Burlington: the office has five workers and "roughly 25" cases per worker — higher than the 15–16 families often…