Task force urges clearer handoffs, more language access and a finalized MOU to fix victim notifications

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 cover sheet with victim contact information; that sheet could travel with the offender packet so corrections staff can notify victims if an offender is released after hours. Amy Farr of the Vermont State Police described the draft form as confidential and said it is intended to close a recurring gap when arrests occur on weekends or nights and victims are unaware of a release until days later.

Members also reported fixes to VINE text and email notices: the group persuaded DOC and the VINE vendor to embed links in truncated texts and rewrite email language to be more trauma‑informed. DOC and task force members emphasized that automated outgoing messages are typically not automatically translated; interpretation by phone is available for victims who call the VINE support line. The task force estimated a one‑time cost to translate outbound written notifications into 12 languages at about $280,000, a figure raised during committee questions.

The task force recommended three legislative changes: amend the state's law enforcement notification requirement (referred to in the report as "53 14") to include information about the offender‑locator and victim‑notification options; amend Title 13 (criminal statutes) to give victims clearer opt‑in/opt‑out choices; and conform Title 13 and parole statutes with Title 28 (DOC) to avoid statutory conflicts about whether victims automatically receive parole notices or must opt in.

Those statutory differences underpin a live dispute: DOC representatives told the committee they cannot operationalize a selective notification "menu" while existing statutory obligations require certain notifications; task force members said statutory edits would allow a more survivor‑driven menu. Attorney Kim McManus with the State's Attorneys and Sheriffs' Office and other prosecutors described a near‑final memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would map statutory duties and the handoffs between law enforcement, prosecutors, victim advocates and DOC.

Survivors who joined the hearing urged lawmakers to preserve human supports and not to let automation replace direct victim services. Kelsey Rice, a survivor who serves on the task force, told lawmakers the weekend‑booking gap can have life‑threatening consequences and asked the committee to maintain momentum on staffing and training changes so the booking form and wider rollout succeed across municipal agencies, not only state police.

What's next: the task force chair said the MOU is close to final and that a brief addendum could be filed in February. Committee staff requested DOC produce a statutory list that explains which VINE menu options are constrained by Title 28, as a basis for any statutory fixes. The committee chair signaled coordination with the House Judiciary Committee will be necessary for any law changes.