Judge tells committee pretrial supervision pilot was underused; members debate redirecting funds
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Summary
Judge Zoni told the Corrections & Institutions committee that the state's pretrial supervision pilot had limited utilization and costly operations. Members discussed lessons from pilot dockets, DOC's role as a liaison, and proposed budget lines for accountability court expansion and staffing.
The committee heard extended testimony about pretrial supervision, pilot dockets and proposed funding for accountability court expansion. Judge Zoni told the panel that the pretrial supervision program "didn't work" in its current form and described what the pilot dockets and the Chittenden model did and did not accomplish.
"We tried this for 2 years. It didn't work," the judge said, summarizing the program's limited uptake and operational challenges. The judge and committee members described two separate objectives the program had intended to address: connecting people to services (evaluations, treatment resources, referrals) and monitoring people on release for condition violations. Testimony emphasized that DOC's presence in pilot dockets—acting as a liaison and coordinating services—was a notable operational benefit.
Committee members discussed the program's costs and alternative approaches. The transcript records prior allocations of $660,000 in FY25 and $650,000 in FY26 for pretrial supervision and a governor's proposed $200,000 for FY27; committee speakers noted those amounts together could approach $1.5 million available for related efforts. The Budget Adjustment Act (BAA) was also referenced as including $500,000 for accountability-related work. Some members urged redirecting resources toward proven models or toward staffing (the governor proposed hiring seven permanent P&P positions to support monitoring), while others said the pilot docket lessons could be scaled where useful.
Speakers raised practical concerns: court and public defender workloads, the need for judges and prosecutors, the sustainability of relying on retired judges for short-term backfill, and geographic differences in program feasibility across counties. The judge suggested another model: set regular, predictable docket days for accountability or pilot dockets to ensure partner agencies (mental health providers, DOC liaisons) would show up and coordinate services.
The committee did not adopt a final policy change in this session but discussed follow-up options including targeted expansion of pilot dockets, redirecting some funds, and clarifying whether new permanent staff should be hired. The conversation will continue as the committee balances the lessons of underutilization against the administrative benefits DOC liaisons provided in some counties.