In general, the past biennial of the Vermont legislature was not a great one for criminal legal reform in the state. Although overall the number of incarcerated people in Vermont has decreased over recent years, the legislature has increased the penalties for some low-level crimes, for instance retail theft, which will most likely have the effect of increasing the prison population. The best way to address property crimes of this nature is to address homelessness, addiction, and poverty. Vermont needs to understand what drives crime in order to address it.
There is a bright spot in the last session, though, which is H.876. This bill, which came out of the House Corrections and Institutions committee, addresses several long-term issues, but most immediately, it provides support for people being released from prison with specific medical needs.
People being released from prison and their advocates have testified that incarcerated people are being released to the community without vital medication and medical support. Advocates have related situations where they have had to scramble at all hours of the day to help a newly released Vermonter acquire life-saving medication.
The new legislation would require that individuals are provided with the medication they need for 28 days after release, or for the legal amount to be prescribed to them, upon release. It also requires that people have state-issued ID cards when upon release.
The bill addresses preparations that must be made for incarcerated individuals before they are released including: making appointments for medically assisted treatment providers; having referrals for general practitioners who can take over addressing medical needs; and making referrals and appointments for mental health providers if the person desires.
Beyond that, it requires the state study and provide ways for visitation in all facilities to be more family-friendly, since solid family relationships are crucial to success both in the prison system and upon release. There is also provision for efforts to end the use of private, out-of-state prisons by the year 2034.
Rep. Michelle Bos-Lun of Westminster said “The House Corrections Committee worked hard on this bill. One of the main goals was to establish clear guidelines and timelines for required preparations to best support individuals leaving incarcerative settings and returning to the community. The family visitation issue and ending for- profit prisons are issues the committee will continue working on.”
There is so much yet to be done to make Vermont’s response to harm to be more humane and effective, but this bill gives us hope that there are smart, fair-minded people in the state house doing their best to make this happen.
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