Difference Between Vermont Prison and Federal Prison
What is the Difference Between Federal Prison and Vermont State Prison?
Federal and state prison systems are a part of the United States criminal justice system. They constitute correctional and detention facilities that confine individuals who have been convicted or accused of committing crimes against the State of Vermont or the United States.
Individuals found guilty of violating the state's criminal code are sentenced by the Vermont court system according to the state's judicial code provisions. If the charge against the defendant merits incarceration, the individual is incarcerated.
The federal criminal justice system is quite similar. However, the applicable laws are federal criminal laws, the presiding law enforcement agencies are federal agencies, and the sentencing courts are the United States District Courts. Any individual convicted of violating the criminal laws is incarcerated in federal prison.
The primary difference between both systems is the law that governs their activities and jurisdiction. Thus, while the Federal Bureau of Prison (BOP) regulates the federal prison system, the Vermont Department of Corrections (VT DOC) exercises control over the Vermont state prison system.
The Vermont Prison System
The Vermont Department of Corrections (VT DOC) oversees the operations of correctional facilities in various state locations. As a division of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, the agency manages the correctional facilities, supervises probationers and parolees, and prevents crime and juvenile delinquency.
The department operates six prison facilities and 11 field offices across the state. The field offices, also called Probation and Parole ("P&P") offices, are tasked with supervising inmates that have been released on a leave of absence and individuals who were sentenced to home or community detention.
Prison facilities in Vermont include:
Northern State Correctional Facility, Newport
2559 Glen Road
Newport, VT 05855
Phone: (802) 334-3364
Fax: (802) 334-3367
Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility, South Burlington
7 Farrell Street
South Burlington, VT 05403
Phone: (802) 863-7356
Fax: (802) 863-7473
Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility, Rutland
167 State Street
Rutland, VT 05701
Phone: (802) 786-5830
Fax: (802) 786-5843
Northeast Regional Correctional Facility, St. Johnsbury
1266-1270 US Route 5
St.Johnsbury, VT 05819
Phone: (802) 748-8151
Fax: NERCF(802) 748-6604
Fax: CCWC(802) 751-1481
Northwest State Correctional Facility, Swanton
3649 Lower Newton Road
St. Albans, VT 05488
Phone: (802) 524-6771
Fax: (802) 527-7534
Southern State Correctional Facility, Springfield
700 Charlestown Road
Springfield, VT 05156
Phone: (802) 885-9800
Fax: (802) 885-9819
Probation and Parole Offices in Vermont:
Barre Probation and Parole
255 North Main Street, Suite 6
Barre, VT 05641
Phone: (802) 479-4242
Fax: (802) 479-4245
Bennington Probation & Parole
200 Veteran's Memorial Drive, Suite 12
Bennington, VT 05201
Phone: (802) 447-2777
Fax: (802) 447-2786
Brattleboro Probation and Parole
41 Spring Tree Road
Brattleboro, VT 05301
Phone: (802) 254-5911
Fax: (802) 257-2850
Burlington Probation and Parole
50 Cherry Street
Burlington, VT 05401
Phone: (802) 863-7350
Fax: (802) 863-7431; (802) 863-7381
Hartford Probation and Parole
118 Prospect Street, Suite 200
White River Junction, VT 05001
Phone: (802) 295-8810
Fax: (802) 295-8816
Morrisville Probation and Parole
197 Harrel Street, Suite 4
Morrisville, VT 05661
Phone: (802) 888-2520
Fax: (802) 888-2524
Newport Probation and Parole
217 Main Street
Newport, VT 05855
Phone: (802) 334-3311
Fax: (802) 334-3326
Rutland Probation and Parole
P.O. Box 175
92 State Street
Rutland, VT 05702
Phone: (802) 786-5808
Fax: (802) 786-5898, (802) 786-5196
St. Albans Probation and Parole
27 Federal Street, Suite 101
St. Albans, VT 05478
Phone: (802) 524-6523
Fax: (802) 524-7925
St. Johnsbury Probation and Parole
1016 US Route 5
St. Johnsbury, VT 05819
Phone: (802) 748-6602
Fax: (802) 748-6614
Springfield Probation and Parole
100 Mineral Street, Suite 102
Springfield VT 05156
Phone: (802) 289-0329
Fax: (802) 885-8800
How to Lookup Inmates in Vermont
The VT DOC provides members of the public with the means to contact, visit, and fund inmates within the state prison system. Before visiting, inquirers can locate inmates and their places of incarceration through the VT DOC offender locator. This online search tool can provide an inmate's information, status, and location. Inquirers can run these searches using the inmate's full name or alias and DOC number.
Family and friends that intend to visit prison inmates must acquaint themselves with the visitation rules for the state-run correctional centers where the inmates are housed. Typically, every inmate is allowed a maximum of 3 visitors at a time unless the superintendent or designee approves otherwise. Also, visitors must be approved before being granted access to an inmate. Hence, the facility staff provides each inmate with a visitor list to input three individuals who can pay them visits.
Furthermore, the Vermont Department of Corrections provides two options of sending money to inmates. Members of the public can send funds via online deposits or make deposits to an inmate's phone account. Individuals can obtain the deposit coupons by printing and using a blank deposit coupon provided on the VT DOC website. Deposit coupons are also obtained directly from the inmates or in any Vermont state prison lobby.
When using Deposit Coupons, the department only permits money orders and bank checks. Cash or personal checks are not acceptable. The money orders and proper checks must be made payable to the inmate's name. Before sending funds, it is essential to note that there is a $500 daily limit on funds that can be deposited in inmate accounts. The sender must also include the inmate's identification in the memo field of the money order or bank check.
Vermont County Jails
Vermont has 14 counties, 9 cities, 237 towns, and 36 villages. Unlike many states where the counties run their jails or detention facilities differently from the state-run prisons, Vermont does not have local jails. Along with Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, and Rhode Island, Vermont operates a unified corrections system. This is a prison system with integrated state prison and jail facilities.
Therefore, instead of the local sheriff's offices or the police departments, the state directly administers facilities that hold arrested individuals, offenders in pretrial status, and sentenced offenders for one year or less. The public can also locate jail inmates through the same means as they find prison inmates. Regardless, the local sheriff's office and local police departments can provide information on inmates arrested within county limits.
How Does the Federal Prison System Work?
As opposed to the Vermont prison system, the federal prison system encompasses correctional and detention facilities operated by the federal government. Thus, the Federal Bureau of Prisons(BOP) is responsible for administering the facilities in the prison system and the custody, care, and well-being of every federal prisoner.
Similar to the state prison system, members of the public can locate, visit, and send money to federal prisoners in the federal prison system. Individuals interested in visiting inmates must first confirm the inmate's location and ensure that they are placed on the inmate's approved visiting list. They must then review the rules, regulations, and procedures for the correction facility they intend to visit. Failure to follow the visitation rules could cause the facility staff to deny the visitor access to the facility or the inmate of interest.
Additionally, inmates in the federal prison system are entitled to personal funds. Hence, friends and family can send them money for the items or services that the law permits them to have. On incarceration, federal prisoners are assigned bank-type accounts that members of the public can deposit money into electronically. Alternatively, they can fund the account by sending a complete money order to the facility through the United States Postal Service. However, if the inmate is incarcerated in a private contract facility, the payer can directly contact the facility for instructions on funding the inmate's account.
The Federal Bureau of Prison maintains inmate records of every individual that has been in the system at one point or another. According to the Freedom of Information Act, members of the public must be given access to these records on request unless otherwise stated by law.
Inquirers seeking federal prison records from 1870 to 1981 can contact the National Archives and Records Administration. The department maintains early prison and prisoner records and indexes of inmates held at federal penitentiaries at the time. To search the database, the individual seeking the information must know the:
- Former inmate's full name
- Date of birth or inmate's age at the time of incarceration
- Race or ethnicity
The department also allows the general public to order copies of these records.
The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) maintains more recent records of federal prisoners incarcerated and released from 1982 till date. The public can access general inmate information through the Inmate Locator feature on the bureau's website. They can also submit a Freedom of Information Act request to the bureau for further information or contact the department directly:
Federal Bureau of Prisons
320 First Street North West
Washington, DC 20534
Phone: (202) 307-3198
