It’s no secret that alerts to crime victims in Vermont were full of flaws. This spring, attention from lawmakers put a spotlight on the issue — illuminating that gaps in alerts caused some victims life-altering harm .

So, lawmakers assembled a task force to make changes to the state notification system called VINE, which stands for Victim Information Notification Everyday.

Recently, employees at the Department of Corrections quietly made changes to VINE , which they claim will help victims and make the system more trauma-informed. But other task force members think the changes will have the opposite effect — and were left in the dark.

“I hope that they’re reconsidering it,” said Tim Lueders-Dumont, executive director of the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs.

Crime vict

See Full Page