House Judiciary Committee reviews H 410 to create criminal-justice-data chapter, simplify recidivism definition
February 26, 2026 | Judiciary, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative , Vermont
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday reviewed draft H 410, a strike-all amendment that would create a new criminal-justice-data chapter in Title 13 and set out annual reporting requirements for the Vermont Statistical Analysis Center.
The amendment would replace a complex recidivism definition in Title 28 with a shorter statutory definition. "Recidivism means a relapse into criminal activity," the committee was told when staff walked through the draft; staff agreed to remove the phrase "habit of" after members said it implied repeated behavior rather than a subsequent conviction. Michelle Chiles of the Office of Legislative Council introduced the draft and led the explanation of the bill and its provisions.
Why it matters: the change seeks to simplify the statutory metric lawmakers use to measure reoffending and to centralize several reporting duties in a new chapter so analysts and policymakers can find data requirements in one place. The draft also directs the Vermont Statistical Analysis Center to produce annual reports on bail rates, recidivism, arrest and clearance rates (organized by NIBRS crime categories), and sentencing aggregates.
Key details: Chiles said the recidivism measure in the draft is calculated from the date of the prior conviction to the date of arraignment on a subsequent charge for statutory purposes. The Crime Research Group's executive director, Weaver, advised that the practical tracking used by researchers should be conviction-to-conviction and that arraignment dates help establish chronology in datasets. Chiles acknowledged those methodological trade-offs and said the statutory language aims for simplicity.
The draft also includes appropriations for fiscal year 2027 to support the reports: $10,000 for the bail-rate report, $10,000 for the recidivism report, $1,000 for the arrest and clearance report, and $4,000 for sentencing reports; Chiles said funding sources (general fund or other) were still to be determined.
Committee members raised technical questions about report phrasing, including whether to list the "top 10 crimes" or use "most adjudicated crimes," and asked to hear witnesses on data-language and methodology. No motion or vote occurred during the morning session; the committee recessed for further testimony at 1:00 p.m., when witnesses including Ken McManus and representatives from Affirmative Corrections, as well as two people identified as Monica and Robin, were expected to appear.
The committee also noted the draft would repeal the prior statute in Title 28 and that the corrections commission and Department of Corrections would still review the changes. The chair said staff would gather additional input on precise wording and report timing before the committee reconvened.
The amendment would replace a complex recidivism definition in Title 28 with a shorter statutory definition. "Recidivism means a relapse into criminal activity," the committee was told when staff walked through the draft; staff agreed to remove the phrase "habit of" after members said it implied repeated behavior rather than a subsequent conviction. Michelle Chiles of the Office of Legislative Council introduced the draft and led the explanation of the bill and its provisions.
Why it matters: the change seeks to simplify the statutory metric lawmakers use to measure reoffending and to centralize several reporting duties in a new chapter so analysts and policymakers can find data requirements in one place. The draft also directs the Vermont Statistical Analysis Center to produce annual reports on bail rates, recidivism, arrest and clearance rates (organized by NIBRS crime categories), and sentencing aggregates.
Key details: Chiles said the recidivism measure in the draft is calculated from the date of the prior conviction to the date of arraignment on a subsequent charge for statutory purposes. The Crime Research Group's executive director, Weaver, advised that the practical tracking used by researchers should be conviction-to-conviction and that arraignment dates help establish chronology in datasets. Chiles acknowledged those methodological trade-offs and said the statutory language aims for simplicity.
The draft also includes appropriations for fiscal year 2027 to support the reports: $10,000 for the bail-rate report, $10,000 for the recidivism report, $1,000 for the arrest and clearance report, and $4,000 for sentencing reports; Chiles said funding sources (general fund or other) were still to be determined.
Committee members raised technical questions about report phrasing, including whether to list the "top 10 crimes" or use "most adjudicated crimes," and asked to hear witnesses on data-language and methodology. No motion or vote occurred during the morning session; the committee recessed for further testimony at 1:00 p.m., when witnesses including Ken McManus and representatives from Affirmative Corrections, as well as two people identified as Monica and Robin, were expected to appear.
The committee also noted the draft would repeal the prior statute in Title 28 and that the corrections commission and Department of Corrections would still review the changes. The chair said staff would gather additional input on precise wording and report timing before the committee reconvened.
View the Full Meeting & All Its Details
This article offers just a summary. Unlock complete video, transcripts, and insights as a Founder Member.
✓
Watch full, unedited meeting videos
✓
Search every word spoken in unlimited transcripts
✓
AI summaries & real-time alerts (all government levels)
✓
Permanent access to expanding government content
30-day money-back guarantee
