Essex community members hear from inmate support staff regarding proposed prison plans

ESSEX, Vt. (WCAX) - A public forum was held Saturday, where members of the Essex Community could speak with the program providers that work inside the state's current women's correctional facility.

State leaders are floating plans to replace Vermont's only prison for women with a new facility in Essex. Some town residents have previously expressed concerns about safety, traffic, and higher cost of living if the proposal goes through.

At today's forum the Essex Community Justice Center brought local legislators, providers, and employees from the department of corrections to talk to the community about what it's like for women living in incarceration.

Event organizers hope with a new facility they can re-define what rehabilitation looks like for inmates before they rejoin society.

"I wanted to hear what they were going to be doing to help women before they're discharged from the prison. What they do also for the people who are just waiting to be adjudicated," said Betsy Dunn, an Essex resident.

"I think because they are out of sight out of mind. People lose sight of the fact that they are human beings like the rest of us. They have children, and partners, and parents, and people care about them. They can be contributing members of our society," said Jill Evans, Director at the Essex Community Justice Center.

Another forum will be held virtually on Wednesday