Vermont Network urges more reentry staff as Chittenden jail runs well over capacity
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Summary
Presenters told the Senate Institutions Committee that Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility has been operating far above its intended capacity and urged the state to add 3–5 caseworkers and expand reentry services for detainees to reduce harmful releases and unnecessary pretrial incarceration.
Representatives of the Vermont Network told the Senate Institutions Committee on Jan. 16 that the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility (CRCF) has been operating under crisis conditions and that immediate increases in reentry staffing are needed to reduce harms for detained people and lower the risk of reoffending.
The presenters said CRCF, built to optimally hold about 88 people, reached a high point of 183 people in September, including 93 state detainees, placing people in cots and common spaces and restricting yard access while construction was staged. "We estimate that 3 to 5 additional caseworkers are needed" to meet detainee reentry needs and to allow casework support that currently is available only to sentenced individuals, the presenters told the committee.
Why it matters: Presenters tied the staffing shortfall to both public-safety and humane-release concerns. They described detainees’ high needs on release — including detox, housing instability and lack of transportation — and said gaps in immediate supports can contribute to longer-than-necessary detention and to conditions that increase the chance of returning to the justice system.
Program details and evidence: The Vermont Network’s DIVAS (Discussing Intimate Violence and Accessing Support) program operates inside CRCF and provides confidential, voluntary 1-on-1 advocacy, group education and reentry planning, including an LGBTQ resilience group. According to the presentation, DIVAS saw sharp increases in demand between July and December '25: a 69% increase in individual participants, a 79% increase in group participation and a 175% rise in reentry services compared with the prior year. The presenters said DIVAS uses release-of-information agreements to coordinate with DOC caseworkers and community providers so appointments, benefits, IDs and housing referrals can be arranged before release.
Staffing, policy and budget constraints: Presenters said DOC caseworkers are currently permitted to provide casework only to sentenced people and that policy changes would be required to extend that role to detainees. They also said existing DOC caseworkers are often diverted to security duties or remote court coverage, reducing casework capacity. Committee members were told DOC had been contacted about the request but had not yet released its budget, and presenters said some DIVAS services are funded by the Department of Corrections and by grants such as the Justice Reinvestment Initiative.
Voices from the hearing: Kylan, who introduced themself as director of the DIVAS program, described the program’s day-to-day work inside CRCF and how staff prepare people for release, saying they try to "make sure people are connected to a domestic violence organization wherever it is that they're going to afterwards" and that advocates continue to assist remotely after release. A committee member who identified themself as a Bennington prosecutor flagged transportation barriers for people returning to distant counties.
Next steps: Committee members thanked presenters and said they would consider the request. Presenters urged action before a replacement facility is available, arguing that increasing reentry capacity now — and revising DOC policy so detainees can receive casework — would address immediate crisis conditions at CRCF. DOC budget timing and whether the department will include new casework positions in an upcoming budget remained unresolved at the hearing.
The committee did not take a formal vote during this session; presenters left the committee with a specific staffing request and a plan to follow up as DOC releases its budget.
