MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The man in charge of Vermont's prison system says there's been an increase in violence behind bars in the state, and that much of it appears tied to gang activity.
Andrew Pallito told lawmakers on Thursday that many of those engaged in violent gang activity are people who come from out of state and get misdemeanor drug convictions while in Vermont.
He says many such people had been housed under contract with the Franklin County Jail and House of Detention in Massachusetts, but that contract recently expired.
Pallito said he could not provide a solid number for the percentage of Vermont's 2,100 inmates who are gang members.
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