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Corrections staff warn siting forensic unit inside prisons risks overstretching already strained facilities
Summary
Union and corrections clinicians told the Senate Institutions Committee that while they support a narrowly tailored forensic facility, placing it inside a working prison — especially Southern State — could worsen staffing and safety problems. DOC said it currently houses some eligible people in existing units but deferred design and cost details to implementation and rulemaking.
Union leaders and corrections clinicians testified on March 10 that although they support establishing a secure forensic facility for a narrow population, locating it inside an existing prison could strain staff and limit therapeutic care.
Steve Howard, executive director of the Vermont State Employees Association, said his union supports a forensic facility but urged the committee not to site it inside a correctional institution. "It can be with the Department of Corrections, but don't build it in a correctional facility and particularly don't build it at at Southern — Southern State," Howard said, citing frequent lockdowns, mandatory overtime, and turnover that he said leave facilities under substantial operational stress.
DOC counsel and corrections staff acknowledged they already care for many people who would meet the bill's criteria, noting existing housing in units such as Alpha and Bravo and that the infirmary contains nine beds. DOC representatives said capacity fluctuates daily; they told the committee they could adapt operations and work toward rulemaking requirements but deferred specifics like clinician staffing levels, square footage and long‑term capital decisions.
DMH counsel had told the committee the population is small: "we think we're talking about three to six people a year," she said, calling it a narrow population of very serious offenses. DOC counsel later said that, by a recent count, six people currently fit the draft criteria. Committee members asked DOC to provide a more precise count, plans for separate housing by sex, and cost estimates before advancing the legislation.
Clinician John Leman, who works on medical staff at Southern State, cautioned the committee that the facility and its units are operationally stressed and said three existing locations within the prison (Alpha, Bravo and the infirmary) are used for people with higher clinical needs. "The infirmary has only nine beds and it has to serve lots of purposes," Leman said, noting that workable clinical programming depends on adequate staffing and space.
What happens next: committee members requested data from DOC on current counts, staffing metrics (including CO1/CO2 corrections officer staffing), square footage requirements and cost estimates to assess whether the department or a contracted provider can deliver the restoration services envisioned in the bill.
