Council backs staff advocacy to Attorney General to preserve local pre‑charge restorative services under Act 180

South Burlington city officials briefed the council on Jan. 13 about the local Community Justice Center (CJC) and a recent funding and policy change under Act 180 that shifts responsibility for pre‑charge restorative justice programs from the Department of Corrections to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office.

Police Chief Sean Burke and City Manager Jesse Baker described how the CJC provides pre‑charge restorative justice, mediation and victim support services and said the shift in funding responsibility created uncertainty for centers across Chittenden County, which currently has four sites (Burlington, South Burlington, Williston and Essex). Chief Burke and staff said Chittenden County’s size and the different service mixes across centers complicate the Attorney General’s statewide review and that managers from three of the four manager‑led communities sent a letter asking the Attorney General’s Office to consider a two‑site model for the county: one manager‑led…