The head of Vermont’s prison system will step down next month — and be replaced by the former chief of the Burlington Police Department.
Nick Deml, the commissioner of the Department of Corrections, will leave the post on Aug. 15, according to a press release from Gov. Phil Scott’s office.
“Nick has been a valued and strong leader as commissioner of the Department of Corrections,” said Scott in the Monday release. “He’s helped to quickly identify areas of our system that need improvement and implemented policies to improve efficiencies in facilities.”
Former Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad will take over as interim commissioner once Deml steps down, according to the press release.
Deml became corrections commissioner nearly four years ago amid the COVID-19 pandemic and in the aftermath of a Seven Days investigation that found numerous allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use at the state’s only women’s prison.
During his tenure, Deml has had to address an uptick in deaths among the incarcerated population, as well as allegations that its previous medical contractor didn’t provide adequate care, according to VTDigger.
He also had to contend with an acute staffing shortage, oversaw plans to build a new women’s prison, sought to expand drug treatment options in prison, and looked for ways to improve visitation for children of incarcerated fathers.
In a letter shared with Vermont Public, Deml wrote that he’d be launching “an advisory practice to continue the work I care about most.”
Murad left the Burlington Police Department earlier this year after deciding that he would not seek reappointment. He led the department through a rocky period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, staffing shortages and a spike in shootings in 2022.
His tenure was also marked by controversy, including an incident, first reported by Seven Days, in which he threatened to arrest a surgeon treating a gunshot victim.
