Joint Senate Resolution
By Senators Sears, Shumlin, Mazza and Bartlett,
J.R.S. 16. Joint resolution urging the Senate and House committees on
judiciary and appropriations to examine criminal justice, juvenile justice and
corrections policies in order to develop alternatives to incarceration for
youthful and other criminal offenders.
Whereas, at a recent hearing before the Senate committee on judiciary, the
department of corrections reported that:
(1) 1 out of every 7 Vermont males between the ages of 18 and 21 are
currently under the supervision of the department of corrections;
(2) every month there are 15 more people sent to prison in Vermont than
there are released from custody;
(3) the average number of youths under the age of 22 incarcerated in adult
facilities has doubled over the last three years and tripled over the last six
years;
(4) 95 % of the youths under the age of 22 incarcerated in Vermont prisons
do not have a high school diploma;
(5) nearly 50% of the youths under the age of 22 incarcerated in Vermont
prisons have a prior special education history, an increase of 14% since 1994;
(6) youths under the age of 22 incarcerated in Vermont consistently rank in
the lowest percentiles on academic achievement tests; and
Whereas, at a recent hearing before the Senate committee on judiciary, the
department of social and rehabilitative services reported that:
(1) since 1990 there has been an increase of 118% in the number of
delinquents in custody;
(2) since 1990 there has been an increase of 106% in the number of
teenagers on probation;
(3) since 1991 there has been an increase of 97% in the number of teenage
sex offenders; and
Whereas, at a recent hearing before the Senate committee on judiciary, the
department of social and rehabilitative services reported, based on a survey of
teenagers in custody during the year 2000, that:
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(1) 70% demonstrate a limited ability to form relationships with adults;
(2) 20% have run away four or more times;
(3) 17% have experienced a major disruption of functioning due to
substance abuse;
(4) 38% have been charged with assaultive behavior;
(5) 39% have had five or more placements in state custody;
(6) 16% have been arrested within the last six months;
(7) 26% have been exposed to domestic violence;
(8) 32% have excessive emotional stability problems
(9) 51% have a history of major negative involvement with their families;
(10) 86% come from families with ineffective or no parental control;
(11) 13% are neither attending school nor working; and
Whereas, policy directives such as imposing stricter punishments on
youthful offenders, increasing enforcement of DUI laws, establishing
minimum mandatory sentences, enhancing resources for domestic violence
prosecution, and enacting stricter bail laws will continue to increase the
number of persons subject to the criminal justice system, and
Whereas, even after the construction of the Springfield correctional facility,
the Vermont prison system will still be 700 beds short in 2 years, a deficit that
will require spending $42 million on new prison construction and another $20
million annually to run the new prisons after they are built; and
Whereas, in light of the increased number of persons entering custody and
the prohibitive costs of housing them in new prison facilities, it will be simply
impossible for Vermont to “build its way out” of this crisis by constructing
more correctional institutions, and
Whereas, virtually every academic study conducted on the subject has
concluded that, unless there is an intensive rehabilitation program,
incarceration increases the chances of re-offense; now therefore be it
RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
That the General Assembly believes it is in the best interest of public safety
to minimize reliance on incarceration as the primary option for criminal
offenders, in order that the number of repeat offenders be lowered, correctional
costs be reduced, and resources be made available to rehabilitate and treat
offenders in an effort to reintegrate them back into the community, and be it
further
RESOLVED: That the General Assembly urges the Senate and House
committees on judiciary and appropriations to examine criminal justice,
juvenile justice and corrections policies with a goal of developing alternatives
to incarceration for youthful and other criminal offenders.
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_____________________________________________
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
ATTESTED TO:
_____________________________________________
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
_____________________________
David A. Gibson
Secretary of the Senate
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