In April of this year, a 34-year old Vermont man took his life inside the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield. Patrick Fennessey had been in and out of prison since 2007, when he was convicted of a burglary charge. His mental health issues contributed to his inability to stay out of prison.
In a special report from VTDigger, the outlet's criminal justice reporter Elizabeth Hewitt reveals how a lack of appropriate mental health treatment outside of the prison system kept Fennessey locked up after he could have been released. Vermont Edition spoke to Hewitt about her reporting on mental health treatment within the prison system.
