White River Junction
“The criminal justice system is designed to provide due process to the accused, oftentimes at the expense of the victim’s time, money, peace of mind and, occasionally, security,” Windsor County State’s Attorney David Cahill said on Monday.
In an effort to serve victims better, the Center for Crime Victim Services is hosting the forum in the Hartford Town Hall tonight at 6 p.m., in the hope that victims will give feedback on what it was like to wait on the sidelines while police, prosecutors, judges and other components of the justice system processed their cases. Cahill, who will join Hartford Police Chief Phil Kasten on a panel, said he thinks one way to improve the system would be to change the philosophy underlying bail.
“Bail is imposed if it looks like they’re going to skip town, or not appear in court,” said Cahill. “I would argue it is just as important for the bail decision to be based on the risk of future dangerousness to the victim and the public.”
Cara Cookson, public policy director for the Center for Crime Victim Services, said the forum is the fourth of eight scheduled at communities around the state, and that she’s already hearing some common themes emerging.
“I think one of the things we hear about a lot is how much victim advocates matter in supporting victims through the process. That is a universal comment,” she said. “We’ve also been hearing some frustration about the amount of time it takes for cases to get through the criminal justice process. People want to be able to move on.”
The common denominator for both of those aspects of the justice system is money.
Victim advocates draw their salaries from two sources — about $700,000 in state appropriations, and about $1 million in federal grants for victim assistance, said Cookson, who is advocating for more support from the state.
“In the current political climate, relying too heavily on federal dollars to fund this program has many of us nervous,” she said.
When it comes to the lengthy time to adjudicate cases, Cookson said problems are particularly severe in criminal cases involving sexual assault against a juvenile that take two or three years to process.
“Court resources is a huge part of it,” she said. “We would love to see a well-resourced and efficient court system. We have heard from the judiciary about case backlogs and the need for judges.”
She said several vacancies have recently been filled, which she anticipates will help.
The Crime Victim Forum series has already brought some new problems to light, including poor communication between agencies and victims, or within the system itself.
Mary McClements, of Hinesburg, Vt., spoke up at one recent panel to talk about her perspective on a 2015 criminal case in which one of her family members was targeted by a voyeur using a camera connected to the Internet.
During sentencing, the judge agreed to a request from the state’s attorney to the installation of a software program that would monitor the computer of the perpetrator.
Afterward, while talking with the perpetrator’s probation officer, McClements learned that the software program had not been installed.
“She said, ‘That doesn’t exist,’ ” said McClements. “That software doesn’t exist.”
McClements said she has since found out that certain Vermont jurisdictions within the Department of Corrections have the software, and others don’t, but that prosecutors and judges don’t always seem to know that.
“I don’t now how many other people might be affected. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t the only person to get this condition,” she said. “For the past few years I’ve been trying to figure out how to change this.”
Cookson said she’s learned of other examples of areas that have this same kind of service gap.
“Some jurisdictions have access to domestic violence accountability programming and some jurisdictions don’t,” she said. “What we’re able to accomplish with these forums is we’re bringing together all of the local stakeholders to listen and provide support. Those folks are also able to hear these common issues and work locally to find solutions.”
For Rosemary and Skip Saunders, a Hartland couple in their 70s, the burglars who broke into their Hartland home in the middle of the day in early August walked away with more than jewels and coins — they also stole the couple’s peace of mind. Rosemary Saunders said that she’s called the police and left messages with updates on missing items.
“I don’t know if they have any information. We haven’t heard anything,” she said. “They’ve been silent.”
She’s also heard rumors about other break-ins and arrests that could be related to her case, and says she’d like the opportunity to get updates that would keep her up to date on whether there’s a connection.
In the meantime, the Saunders are a good example of how, as the criminal investigation unfolds, the burden of the crime is largely born by the victim.
“At this point, only one of us goes out at a time because we don’t want to leave the home unsecured,” she said. “You’re always looking around the corner.”
Cookson said that the Center for Crime Victim Services, a state agency, runs a variety of programs to connect victims with services, including a restitution unit, and a victims compensation program for “costs related to physical and emotional injury and safety needs.”
Cookson said those who cannot attend the forum in person are welcome to send an intermediary to read a statement, or to email the program at victimfeedback@ccvs.vermont.gov.
Matt Hongoltz-Hetling can be reached at mhonghet@vnews.com or 603-727-3211.