Vermont has identified two possible sites for a new women’s correctional facility – both on state land in the town of Essex.
It will replace the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington, which was built in the 1970s and has cost millions of dollars to maintain. The facility houses about 100 women who have been incarcerated or convicted.
“The facility that houses women awaiting trial is unacceptable,” said Haley Sommer, communications director for the Vermont Department of Corrections. “It costs about $3 million annually to maintain this facility, and that’s just to keep the lights on.”
Despite the poor conditions in the current prison, some Vermonters do not support new plant.
Lexi Krupp
/
Vermont Public Administration
On Monday, high school students stood alongside white-haired adults in Burlington to demand investment in alternatives to prison — such as housing, bail reform and mental health services — at a protest organized by the prison abolition group FreeHer. Burlington resident Tiffany Harrington spoke about the lasting effects of incarceration years after release.
“This week I’m being evicted from my apartment because I can’t pay my rent,” she said.
“Because of my criminal record, it’s really hard for me to get a job. My criminal record excludes me from any kind of help – like welfare or a voucher – I don’t get any of that. Because of my prison past, my four-year-old and I are on the verge of ending up on the streets.”
Lexi Krupp
/
Vermont Public Administration
But even without a new facility, there will still be incarceration, said Sommer of the Department of Corrections, unless the state legislature and courts change the way sentences are handed down.
“Until these punitive structures are targeted, we will continue to have women in custody, and it is our responsibility to make sure their needs are met,” she said. “Chittenden doesn’t really provide that opportunity.”
The two Essex sites being considered for new construction are off Landfill Lane near the Susie Wilson Bypass and off River Road near the North Williston Road intersection.
The state is now calling on the city of Essex to Approve zone changes for the construction of a prison and a rehabilitation facility. This could be a process that takes months. Then it will take at least five years to get enough money to finance the the new prison – estimated at $70 million.
Until that happens, groups like FreeHer will continue to demand more effective alternatives to prison.
“I don’t think anyone deserves to go through what I and my friends went through,” Harrington said.
“The fact that we are here today shows that we will not tolerate this.”
Do you have any questions, comments or tips? Send us a message.
