Vermont H 382: An act relating to data collection in the criminal justice system

Bill Text

BILL AS INTRODUCED H.382
2025 Page 1 of 7

VT LEG #380830 v.1
H.382 1
Introduced by Representative Christie of Hartford 2
Referred to Committee on 3
Date: 4
Subject: Criminal justice data collection 5
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to require the 6
Judiciary, the Vermont Crime Information Center, the Department of State’s 7
Attorneys and Sheriffs, and the Department of Corrections to collect and 8
publicly post criminal justice data. 9
An act relating to data collection in the criminal justice system 10
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 11
Sec. 1. SHORT TITLE 12
This act may be cited as “The Vermont Justice Transparency Act.” 13
Sec. 2. 4 V.S.A. § 42 is added to read: 14
§ 42. DATA REPORTING 15
(a)(1) Beginning on August 1, 2028 and quarterly thereafter, the Judiciary 16
shall issue a report on all of the following data from the previous year relating 17
to: 18

BILL AS INTRODUCED H.382
2025 Page 2 of 7

VT LEG #380830 v.1
(A) pretrial release determination for individuals, including the 1
amount of bail set and nonmonetary conditions of release, if any; 2
(B) sentence type and length imposed by the court, including 3
minimum and maximum sentence imposed, and conditions of probation or 4
other supervision or resolution; and 5
(C) the number of cases diverted from prosecution. 6
(2) All data required by subdivision (1) of this subsection shall identify 7
the county of the proceeding, the presiding judge, the charge or charges, and 8
the individual’s age, race, gender, and state of last residence. 9
(b) The Judiciary shall post the report electronically on its website in a 10
manner that is easily understandable and accessible to the public. 11
Sec. 3. 20 V.S.A. § 2057 is amended to read: 12
§ 2057. INFORMATION 13
(a) From time to time but at least annually, the center Center shall publish 14
information relating to criminal activity, arrests, convictions, and such other 15
information as the commissioner Commissioner deems relevant. At a 16
minimum, the Center shall issue a report on arrest data from each State, 17
county, and municipal law enforcement agency from the previous year relating 18
to: 19
(1) the age, race, gender, and state of residence of individuals who 20
are arrested; 21

BILL AS INTRODUCED H.382
2025 Page 3 of 7

VT LEG #380830 v.1
(2) reported incidents of use of force, identified by type of force 1
used; 2
(3) arrests categorized by legal basis for the arrest; and 3
(4) results of searches conducted pursuant to arrests. 4
(b) Each State, county, and municipal law enforcement agency shall 5
provide the information required in subsection (a) of this section to the Center 6
in a time frame and manner established by the Center. 7
Sec. 4. 24 V.S.A. § 368 is added to read: 8
§ 368. REPORTING DATA 9
(a) Beginning on January 31, 2026 and annually thereafter, the Department 10
of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs shall issue a report consisting of data from 11
each of the State’s Attorneys on the following: 12
(1) the number and percentage of cases a State’s Attorney declines to 13
prosecute; the rationale for declining to prosecute in each instance; the alleged 14
criminal violation; and the age, race, gender, and state of last residence of the 15
individual referred for prosecution; 16
(2) the number and percentage of cases that result in accepted pleas to 17
lesser charges, identified by original charge and charge pled to by the 18
individual, and the age, race, gender, and state of last residence of the 19
individual; 20

BILL AS INTRODUCED H.382
2025 Page 4 of 7

VT LEG #380830 v.1
(3) the number and percentage of cases in which a State’s Attorney 1
sought the maximum sentence, identified by the charge, and the age, race, 2
gender, and state of last residence of the individual; 3
(4) the number and percentage of cases recommended by a State’s 4
Attorney for the individual to be released on the individual’s own recognizance 5
and cash bail or no bail, identified by charge; bail amount; and the age, race, 6
gender, and state of last residence of the individual; and 7
(5) the number and percentage of cases in which a State’s Attorney 8
sought an alternative to incarceration; the types of alternatives chosen; the 9
charges in each case in which an alternative was sought; and the age, race, 10
gender, and state of last residence of the individual. 11
(b) Each State’s Attorney shall provide the information required in 12
subsection (a) of this section to the Center in a time frame and manner 13
established by the Center. 14
(c) The Department shall post the reports created electronically in a manner 15
that is accessible to the public on the Department’s website. 16
Sec 5. 28 V.S.A. § 123 is added to read: 17
§ 123. REPORTING DATA 18
(a) Beginning on August 5, 2026, and on the first Monday of every month 19
thereafter, the Department shall issue a report on Vermont’s incarcerated 20

BILL AS INTRODUCED H.382
2025 Page 5 of 7

VT LEG #