Scott on crime and recidivism
by Austin Davis, Lake Champlain Chamber
Last week, the Governor used his weekly press conference to preview his omnibus bill on public safety.
Zoom Out: The Democrats used their supermajority over the previous six years to pass numerous changes to the criminal justice system, which are now under scrutiny as communities struggle with issues of public safety and quality of life in shared public spaces.
Submit to you as evidence, Exhibit A: If you are unsure if there is an issue, take a look at Burlington which has been in the news this week due to a dust-up between the Mayor and the Police Chief about how to talk about a notorious repeat offender who has almost 2,000 interactions with police and dozens of crimes they are charged with, yet continues to be released back into the community to threaten residents.
The Governor wants to do three things in an omnibus bill:
Revisit How the State Deals with Youthful Offenders
In 2018, Vermont passed a “Raise the Age” bill which sought to, over time, increase the age at which criminal offenders would be treated as juveniles in family court, which limits accountability. The Governor wants to repeal “Raise the Age” for 19-year-old offenders and Strengthen measures to ensure accountability for offenders under this designation.
Address Repeat Offenders
Revise Bail Revocation Laws: Encourage courts and prosecutors to use this tool more effectively.
Amend Expungement Laws: Ensure past offenses remain sealed so they are not publicly viewable yet are accessible for justice purposes.
Restrict Sentence Suspension: Limit courts’ ability to suspend sentences for repeat offenses.
Waiver of Extradition: Streamline the extradition process.
Redefine Recidivism: Update its definition for better alignment with justice goals.
Pretrial Supervision Program: The pilot program in Orleans County awaits data to determine potential expansion.
Combat Illicit Drug Use
Repeal Prohibition on Corrections Facility Transportation: Eliminate restriction on transporting disorderly persons to corrections facilities.
Drug Treatment Strategy: Develop and implement strategies to reduce drug use.
Pretrial Care Implementation: Establish care levels at the pretrial stage to address addiction early.
Crux of Disagreement
The Democrats leading the Judiciary Committees take issue with the Governor’s assertion that tougher penalties deter crimes. Instead, they point to the speed and certainty of prosecution as what is needed to deter crime and will likely counter with steps to remove cases from the long-held court backlog.
Republished from 1/17/2025 Lake Champlain Chamber Advocacy newsletter.