VT S0237

S.237 - Restructuring the Parole Board

• Restructures Vermont's Parole Board as an independent commission within the Executive Branch, consisting of one full-time chair and four members appointed by the Governor for three-year terms, with a two consecutive term limit.

• Creates three new permanent positions: a full-time exempt Chair, a full-time staff attorney, and a full-time administrative assistant, with $430,000 appropriated from the General Fund in FY2027.

• Requires annual training for Parole Board members on topics including parole determinations, criminogenic behavior, mental health disorders, substance use treatment, trauma-informed victim work, and serious crime rehabilitation.

• Adds parole eligibility requirement that inmates with minimum sentence terms must have no pending criminal charges, and allows parolees to voluntarily relinquish parole status and benefit from earned time reductions.

• Strengthens victims' rights by requiring the inmate not be present when a victim testifies at parole eligibility hearings (unless waived by victim), and mandates the Parole Board submit its budget directly to the Governor.