SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Tiffany Harrington knows Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility well. She spent years there, giving birth to two children while serving time. She says the facility isn’t even fit for a dog.
“My life is completely negatively impacted by being involved with corrections,” Harrington said.
Nearly 40 years old, the facility is said to be outdated and inadequate for the 117 women living there today. Loud metal doors, concrete walls, few windows and a lack of social services for inmates struggling with addiction, mental illness and other issues are common complaints. The state says a new prison and reentry facility with a price tag in the tens of millions is the answer.
Others want to break the cycle of incarceration entirely. Jayna Ahsaf with prison abolition group FreeHer rallied outside the facility Saturday to oppose the rebuild.
“We don’t think accountability has to equal the depravation of one’s humanity and being exposed to violence like this,” Ahsaf said.
Ahsaf believes women should be directed to community programming rather than a prison sentence. But Department of Corrections Commissioner Nicholas Deml argues the new facility, with a proposed reentry wing complete with more social services and beds, would hold people accountable while preparing them for life after incarceration.
“I think what the conversation is missing right now is the need to have specialty beds for folks who have specialty needs, and that’s something the Department of Corrections wants to provide to that population,” Deml said.
Falko Schilling with ACLU of Vermont supports the reentry wing but worries that more beds could equal more incarceration.
“Now is the time to put in place smarter policies that rely less on incarceration and focus on how do we invest in people not prisons, and make sure we can provide people with the resources they need in the community,” Schilling said. “And only be locking people up behind bars when it’s absolutely necessary and a last resort.”
This legislative session, lawmakers and state officials will discuss potential sites for the new facility and more exact costs. Ahsaf says FreeHer VT plans to testify against the new facility at the state house.
“We’ll be there every step of the way reminding them Vermonters do not want new prisons,” Ahsaf said.
