The plan provides the Department a roadmap to follow as it modernizes its systems and achieves a people-centered approach to corrections.
Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Corrections today released a six-year strategic plan setting the direction for Vermont’s correctional system across four key priorities: Staff & Staffing, Health & Wellness, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for a Just System, and Modernization. The plan comes just over a year since the Department launched new Vision, Mission, and Values statements for the first time in more than three decades.
“Our Department—guided by our staff—identified these four critical priorities as the areas that present the greatest opportunity and challenge within Vermont’s correctional system today,” said Nicholas J. Deml, Commissioner of the Department of Corrections. “The plan not only provides a roadmap for our daily work, but it will also drive the Department's engagement with external partners, the Legislature, and secure Vermont’s position as a national leader in this field.”
Commissioner Deml said the strategic plan is the first of its kind in the Department’s modern history and will prove crucial to the sustainability of Vermont’s correctional system, which reached a 30% vacancy rate across correctional facilities in 2022. Though the Department has since cut that rate by more than half, Commissioner Deml said the plan will aim to further boost staffing and improve workplace conditions.
“Being part of this team has reinforced my belief in the importance of strategic staffing and planning. It's not just about filling positions; it's about aligning our resources with our goals, ensuring that every member contributes meaningfully to our collective success. Together, we're not just working; we're making a difference,” said Anthony Giordano, Volunteer Coordinator at Southern State Correctional Facility.
The six-year strategic plan also identifies key targets to improve the health and wellness of those in custody, including new efforts to expand substance use disorder treatment, connections to community providers, and peer recovery coaches.
The Department’s full 2024-2030 Strategic Plan can be found on their website.
Source: 6.13.2024. Waterbury, VT – Vermont Department of Corrections
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