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Public Weighs-in on Vermont Prisons

Montpelier, Vermont - April 22, 2004

Vermont prisons are bursting at the seams and many say the entire system needs to be overhauled in order to ease overcrowding. The Governor's Commission on Prison Overcrowding launched the first of three public hearings on the issue Thursday night. Several witnesses told the group that there are not enough services for inmates in prison to help them succeed when they get out.

"The Vermont system is basically a punitive system. There is no rehabilitation. Of course, the people in jail have broken the law and sentenced by the court, but what happens after that? There is no job training, very little mental health counseling, no support and certainly no plans for the future," said Edith Robenstein.

And without those things, many at the hearing said that people are ending up right back in jail, one of several factors causing the crunch in corrections. Officials estimate that without change, the number of people behind bars will grow from 1,600 to 2,600 within five years.

The five-member panel will hold one more hearing in Rutland and another in Springfield. It will issue a list of recommendations to the governor later this year.

Bridget Barry Caswell - Channel 3 News