Victims and mental‑health workers urge Vermont House Judiciary to back S.193 to create forensic facility

The House Judiciary Committee heard emotional testimony on S.193 on April 8 as victims and mental‑health workers urged lawmakers to create a forensic facility for a small, high‑risk population of people found not competent to stand trial.

Kelly Carroll, a mother who said her daughter Emily Hammond was murdered in 2021, told the committee the proposal “is not about a broad population. It is about a very small, specific group of individuals who are charged with serious violent offenses, often punishable by life sentences, who have been found not competent to stand trial.” Carroll said those competency findings are judicial determinations and stressed that victims and communities also have rights to expect “monitoring, supervision, programming, and treatment when someone has demonstrated that they are a danger.”

Carroll recounted her family’s experience to illustrate what she described as system failures: police were called the night before the homicide and, she said, the person was left in the community unsupervised. “The night before he murdered Emily, there was an incident,” Carroll said, and she argued the case showed the current approach ‘‘is not working.’’ She urged the committee to verify claims from other testimony about existing capacity with the Department of Mental Health (DMH), saying repeatedly, “please verify that with DMH because we do not.”

Lee Ann Billings, who identified herself as both a victim and a longtime mental‑health worker, spoke about operational gaps she has seen in programs and facilities. Billings said some people stabilized quickly once treated but that the system is easily manipulated if monitoring and reporting are weak. “What is the cost of a life?” Billings asked, framing the policy choice in human and financial terms.

Witnesses cited specific problems they say the bill would address: people found not competent being held in Department of Corrections custody because no appropriate placement exists; lengthy stalls in cases when defendants refuse treatment; and limits in inpatient bed capacity. Carroll told the committee she was informed in another briefing that Vermont has about 167 psychiatric beds with 156 in use as of late February and urged the panel to distinguish voluntary from involuntary capacity when assessing need.

Witnesses proposed several technical changes and process fixes. Carroll recommended adding explicit victims’‑participation language to hearings for people returned to the facility and urged clarifying record‑release provisions so victims can receive case information that the bill otherwise authorizes to be shared with partners in the criminal case. Billings suggested a monthly reporting requirement for designated agencies — documenting medication pickups, no‑shows and incidents — be sent to a DMH point person (or prosecutors) to create a documented record that could trigger further action.

Committee members responded that they expect to take more testimony and that amendments are likely. The chair asked witnesses to submit written testimony for posting and said the committee will coordinate with the House Corrections and Institutions committee as work continues. Assistant state's attorney Jared Bianchi was scheduled to testify later in the day.

The committee did not take a vote on S.193 during the session covered by the transcript; lawmakers signaled they will continue to gather testimony and consider amendments before any final action.