A rise in violent crime is leading to more delays in justice in Vermont courtrooms.
The number of homicides in Vermont has increased in recent years to levels not seen since the early ’90s.
“When we look at how one homicide can ripple through a whole system, it means that all the other criminal activity takes a back seat,” said Tim Leuders Dumont with the Vermont State’s Attorney’s and Sheriff’s Department.
When comparing 10-year Vermont homicide averages, the state averaged 11 per year from 2001 to 2010. That increased in the next decade to 12. But in the last five years alone, the state has averaged 22 per year.
“Part of that increase we’ve absolutely seen tied to our hospitable drug marketplace and the prevalence of firearms,” Dumont said. He says there are roughly 120 pending homicide cases. That includes murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, and accessory to murder charges.
The multitude of cases is piled on top of thousands of nonviolent misdemeanor cases. Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George says it takes prosecutors much longer to resolve homicide cases. “There are usually 50-100 depositions that need to be conducted. There are motions that get litigated that take a lot of time and sometimes expert testimony - and then the trials themselves can be really long and complicated,” she said.
George says her office will close most of the pending homicide dockets within the next six months by trial or other resolution. One of those cases -- the 2019 murder case against Alfred Wisher -- was finally resolved Thursday. “The court is every day of the week going to prioritize a homicide or a violent felony over a non-violent misdemeanor. Without a lot of options, I think that is the most appropriate thing for them to do,” George said.
So what can be done to speed up the court process? On average, Vermont’s prosecutors are handling roughly 450 cases each, and they’re calling for more resources. “Having more dedicated opportunities and spaces for our misdemeanor cases so that they’re not competing with the homicides, because one of the deterrents to crime is being able to move the case quickly,” Dumont said.
Dumont says they are planning to address that idea with the Legislature in the next session. George and others say being proactive and putting resources toward addressing root causes, like housing and substance use treatment, is a better use of taxpayer dollars.
Original article can be found here: Increase in violent crimes exacerbating Vermont court backlog