ESSEX, Vt. , Oct. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls and its Vermont chapter, FreeHer Vermont, are proud to celebrate a major victory for justice and community.

After years of grassroots organizing and public pressure, the Vermont Department of Corrections' plan to rezone land in Essex to build a new $90 million women's prison has been officially rejected. The Essex Planning Committee voted to deny the zoning amendment, effectively halting the proposed construction.

"This victory belongs to the people," said Andrea James , Founder and Executive Director of The National Council. "It belongs to the organizers, the neighbors, the women, and the families who refused to let a new prison rise in their community. When people

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