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Task force urges clearer handoffs, more language access and a finalized MOU to fix victim notifications
Summary
A legislative task force reported progress on VINE notices, a draft MOU to map responsibilities among law enforcement, prosecutors and DOC, and recommended adding written language access and statutory alignment so victims can meaningfully exercise notification rights.
The House Corrections & Institutions Committee heard a final report Jan. 13 from the victim‑notification task force that recommended clarifying who must notify victims at each stage of a criminal case and improving language access for automated notices.
Jennifer Coleman, chair of the task force and director of the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services, told the committee the group met its statutory deadline and produced a report with an appendix that maps the "life of a case," a rubric meant to show where responsibilities lie from arrest through parole. "Giving victims a right without access to that right is not a right," Coleman said, summarizing the group's conclusion that tools and statutes must align so victims can actually use notification options.
The task force highlighted several operational changes already under way. Coleman said the center revised the booking packet so arresting officers can include a confidential…
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