Parole board director urges more staff, better data tools and training

MONTPELIER — Mary Jane Ainsworth, director of the Vermont Parole Board, told the House Corrections and Institutions Committee on Jan. 15 that the board conducts much of its recordkeeping and analysis in Excel and lacks a dedicated data system, making routine data requests time consuming.

“We do not have a data system, so we track everything by Excel spreadsheets,” Ainsworth said, apologizing for staggered handouts and saying manual processing required extra time to compile the packet presented to the committee.

Ainsworth described a small office: a director, one administrative staff member and volunteers who serve on the board. She said much of the director’s time is spent facilitating hearings, preparing dockets and sequestering witnesses, leaving limited capacity for training, policy analysis and more structured decision‑making tools. “A position would be my goal,” she said, describing the need for at least one additional staff position to support data analysis and administrative functions.

Committee members voiced concern about the burden on volunteer board members and about training gaps. Ainsworth said the board is working to introduce structured decision‑making framework training and evidence‑based risk assessment guidance but that resource limits constrain scope and frequency of training.

Members asked for DOC field‑office testimony so the committee can better understand how parole and probation officers manage supervision on the ground and how data from field offices could be integrated with the board’s records. Ainsworth said integration across agencies is technically difficult because legacy IT systems differ in age and capability.

The committee agreed to request follow-up testimony from DOC and to consider how to prioritize funding or positions that would allow the parole board to improve data quality, training for members and coordination with DOC.