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Committee reviews draft to expand pretrial supervision, flags staffing and notification gaps
Summary
The House Corrections & Institutions committee reviewed draft 1.1 of a bill (draft request 26-0762) that would implement four Council of State Governments recommendations for Vermont's pretrial supervision program: cap officer caseloads at 20, allow DOC-initiated court referrals for violations, shift eligibility to DOC risk/needs assessments, and improve behavioral-health referral coordination. Members raised concerns about DOC staffing, how screenings would be triggered before arraignment, and differences with the governor's proposed language.
The House Corrections & Institutions committee met Feb. 6 to review draft 1.1 of a committee bill (draft request 26-0762) that would change statewide pretrial supervision under 13 VSA section 75 55. Committee staff said the draft is intended to implement four recommendations from the Council of State Governments: dedicate officers with smaller caseloads, authorize Department of Corrections staff to go directly to court on certain violations, base referrals on DOC risk-and-needs assessments rather than two statutory categories, and coordinate behavioral-health referrals across agencies.
Committee staff described the specific statutory edits in draft 1.1, including language that would direct DOC to "maintain a target caseload of not more than 20 defendants for each pretrial supervision officer" and remove two current eligibility categories (a violation of a condition of release or having five or more pending dockets) in favor of DOC assessments using evidence-based screening tools. Staff identified the draft request number as 26-0762 and noted the changes…
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