Priority Area 1: Reconvene the Justice Reinvestment II Working Group to monitor implementation and develop additional policy recommendations for improving post-prison treatment, services, and supervision.
Update: In August, CSG Justice Center staff continued with their fifth post-enactment Justice Reinvestment Working Group meeting. Before the scheduled meeting, CSG Justice Center staff met remotely with Vermont stakeholders to discuss the upcoming meeting and share some general strategies to help reduce racial disparities in sentencing.
On August 17, working group members reviewed data monitoring information, which featured changes to prison admissions and the community supervision populations due to COVID-19. CSG Justice Center staff also directed working group members to examine research related to reducing racial disparities in sentencing. The research featured information about policies other states and jurisdictions are employing for this effort; examples included reclassification, establishing guidelines, and changes to the plea-bargaining process. Members also examined parole for older adults, a task outlined in Act 148. They reviewed examples of how other states are caring for people over 60 within their criminal justice systems.
At the meeting, CSG Justice Center staff also expressed to the working group the need for an additional meeting in November. After outlining the outstanding tasks for review, it was decided that two more presentations would not be sufficient, so a November 17 presentation was added to focus solely on racial disparities. The October presentation will focus on parole for older adults and reinvestment efforts.
In addition to the presentation, the working group received implementation updates from Deputy Director from the Agency of Human Services, the Director of Probation and Parole, and the Executive Director of the Parole Board.
Priority Area 2: Implement presumptive parole, earned good time, and furlough status consolidation.
Update: In August, CSG Justice Center staff continued to meet regularly with DOC and parole board staff and leadership to discuss ongoing implementation.
Priority Area 3: Evaluate the current use of sanctions and incentives and recommend improvements to increase adherence to evidence-based practices.
Update: No update.
Priority Area 4: Analyze current policy and practice to identify ways to improve assessment processes, care coordination, information sharing, and case management for people in the criminal justice system who have complex behavioral health issues.
Update: In August, Policy Research Associates (PRA) continued to provide technical support to an internal AHS working group tasked with creating a model for supporting people on community supervision with complex mental health and substance use needs. CSG Justice Center staff met regularly with PRA and provided guidance on materials and recommendations for PRA to share with AHS. CSG Justice Center staff also met with AHS leadership to discuss the project and coordinate a progress update to the working group.
Priority Area 5: Increase criminal justice data collection and analysis capacity and establish outcome measures and regular data monitoring to track the implementation progress of Act 148.
Update: In August, CSG Justice Center staff continued to receive data monitoring reports from DOC and the parole board. CSG Justice Center staff also met with DOC leadership to discuss data monitoring challenges and strategize ways for DOC to regularly provide a more complete data monitoring report.
Priority Area 6: Assist in creating standards to examine the data collection, monitoring, and evaluation process, especially as it concerns disparate outcomes for different demographic groups.
Update: In August, CSG Justice Center staff prepared for the working group meeting by researching the policies implemented or being considered in other states/jurisdictions to address racial disparities in sentencing. In addition to the research efforts, CSG Justice Center staff also obtained final court data files, began the cleaning process, and incorporated the data into usable analysis.
For the data from Vermont Crime Information Center (VCIC), a new data use agreement was obtained and revised, and necessary troubleshooting was done regarding the file’s submission.
The Racial Disparities in the Juvenile and Criminal Justice Advisory Panel (RDAP) cancelled August’s general meeting but continued with the working group’s efforts to determine where a potential new Bureau of Racial Justice Statistics should be situated. The RDAP working group meets weekly to deliberate and make those considerations ahead of their November deadline.
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