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Why Vermont Sends Minors In State Custody Out Of State

Vermont sends a handful of the 1,350 minors in state custody to out-of-state residential treatment programs for issues like mental health or substance abuse.
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Vermont sends a handful of the 1,350 minors in state custody to out-of-state residential treatment programs for issues like mental health or substance abuse.

Vermont’s Department of Corrections has more than 200 prisoners serving their sentences in out-of-state prisons. But what about the roughly 1,350 juveniles in state custody?

Ken Schatz, commissioner for the Department for Children And Families—the agency responsible for the vast majority of Vermont minors in out-of-state programs—explains how residential treatment programs, and not delinquency concerns, drive those out-of-state placements.

Treatments include mental health, substance abuse or sexually aggressive behavior, and Schatz says residential programs are considered only when "it's not appropriate [for an individual] to be in a family-like environment." 

Currently Schatz says Vermont has 58 minors placed in out-of-state treatment programs, with 47 in programs in New Hampshire or Massachusetts, "relatively close to their homes."

He adds that eleven more have been placed outside the region for more "intensive" programs that can't be met "close by."

"Being a small state," Shatz says "there are certain types of situations where we simply ... don't have large numbers of youth who have certain types of behaviors. So we do need to take advantage of those programs in other places."

Broadcast live on Monday, Aug. 27, 2018 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

Jane Lindholm is the host, executive producer and creator of But Why: A Podcast For Curious Kids. In addition to her work on our international kids show, she produces special projects for Vermont Public. Until March 2021, she was host and editor of the award-winning Vermont Public program Vermont Edition.
Matt Smith worked for Vermont Public from 2017 to 2023 as managing editor and senior producer of Vermont Edition.
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