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Explore our coverage of government and politics.

Despite Dip, Addiction Fallout Continues To Consume Vermont Courts

Vermont Supreme Court in Montpelier.
Lillian Kate Alfin Johnson
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VPR/file
Pat Gabel, Vermont's chief court administrator says while the number of court cases related to addiction at first looked like it was going down, instead is again on the rise.

At first glance, the numbers look optimistic. After three years of increases in family court cases related to addiction such as child abuse and neglect, numbers were down for fiscal year 2017.

"We thought maybe this is the beginning of a different trend," says Pat Gabel, Vermont’s chief court administrator. "Maybe some of the things people had been doing could make a difference."

READ THE ANNUAL REPORT

That was before Gabel looked at the first six months of statistics for fiscal year 2018, and learned these case numbers had risen sharply once again. 

Credit https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/sites/default/files/documents/FY17%20Statistics.pdf / Vermont Judiciary
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Vermont Judiciary
CHINS, or Child in Need of Care and Supervision cases dipped briefly in FY2017. These consist of abuse and neglect cases, "beyond parental control" cases in which youth have run away from home or are chronically truant from school, and truancy cases.

Because child abuse and neglect-type cases are complicated and get first priority, Gabel says, other kinds of cases in the court system get backed up, too.

Additionally, drug crimes, such as drug possession and distribution, were up over the previous year.

Credit https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/sites/default/files/documents/FY17%20Statistics.pdf / Vermont Judiciary
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Vermont Judiciary

A commission tasked with finding ways to expedite these cases is set to offer recommendations to the Supreme court by the end of the year. Gabel says members will consider approaches that encourage more collaboration between advocates for children, advocates for their parents, and the state.

READ JUDICIARY'S 2019 BUDGET SUMMARY

Emily Corwin reported investigative stories for VPR until August 2020. In 2019, Emily was part of a two-newsroom team which revealed that patterns of inadequate care at Vermont's eldercare facilities had led to indignities, injuries, and deaths. The consequent series, "Worse for Care," won a national Edward R. Murrow award for investigative reporting, and placed second for a 2019 IRE Award. Her work editing VPR's podcast JOLTED, about an averted school shooting, and reporting NHPR's podcast Supervision, about one man's transition home from prison, made her a finalist for a Livingston Award in 2019 and 2020. Emily was also a regular reporter and producer on Brave Little State, helping the podcast earn a National Edward R. Murrow Award for its work in 2020. When she's not working, she enjoys cross country skiing and biking.
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