The state is no longer
sending inmates to a Massachusetts jail and the change may have aggravated tensions in Vermont prisons. Officials are reporting an
up-tick in violence among inmates, and they say out-of-state gang members held on
drug charges may be responsible.
Governor Peter Shumlin is
celebrating victories in what he calls "the war on recidivism." He says the
state has made progress in reducing the prison population while also cutting
the crime rate.
Bob Dylan’s song "Hurricane" made Rubin Carter an American legend. On this week’s Saturday Special, hear the true story of the prize fighter who was falsely convicted of murder in Carter’s own words.
This week, State of the Re:Union travels through Appalachia. We’ll learn about mountain-top-removal mining through the miners and communities of West Virginia. In Kentucky, we hear a local radio DJ who’s gone from bluegrass and blues to Blackalicious, with an unexpected key audience.
The state is having trouble processing all of the applications it’s receiving for benefits like food stamps, health care and housing assistance within the state and federally mandated 30-day window. Plus, the number of people incarcerated in Vermont is on the decline.
The Vermont Department of Corrections is reporting a gradual decrease in the
number of people in jail. Officials say the decrease is a result of the governor’s Challenges for Change budget
initiative.
An independent investigation into the death of a prison inmate last
summer says
the state failed to follow proper medical procedures that could have
saved his
life. But the
Department of Corrections disagrees with the report’s findings.
The
Corrections commissioner supports closing the prison in St. Johnsbury, even
though there’s been a public outcry against the plan. Commissioner
Andy Pallito says the department has already cut 100 or more staff positions,
and is closing two Probation and Parole offices.