Panel hears request to let crime victims opt out of DOC notifications and to expand RFA remedies

Witnesses before the Senate Judiciary committee on April 23 urged lawmakers to add two victim-centered technical fixes to the miscellaneous judiciary bill.

Jennifer Pullman, director of the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services, said a victim-notification task force recommended restoring a "menu" of options in the Vine automated-notification system so survivors can choose which alerts they receive. Pullman said the system previously allowed more tailored choices but moved to an all-or-nothing model; task-force members — including survivors, state police advocates and DOC staff — recommended moving back to an opt-out menu so victims do not have to opt into notifications they may find retraumatizing.

Representatives of the Department of Corrections supported the idea but said a statutory fix in Title 28 is needed so DOC can legally honor a victim's choice to decline particular notifications without inadvertently violating other statutory notification obligations. The department requested explicit language that lists "notification" among "services" that a victim may decline.

Charlie Glyman, policy director at the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, asked the committee to consider two technical clarifications to civil relief-from-abuse (RFA) law. First, Glyman proposed changing the statutory language so a court may grant certain RFA relief when a defendant is "under the supervision of the Department of Corrections," not only when a defendant is "currently incarcerated," ensuring survivors can seek protections when an offender is on probation or parole. Second, Glyman proposed adding an optional remedy that would allow a judge to order a defendant to continue paying household bills they were responsible for at the time an RFA is filed; Glyman said that option could prevent immediate financial crisis for survivors when shared household payments stop.

Committee members asked about scope of outreach to survivors and the default the task force recommended; Pullman said the group deliberately recommended opt-out as the default after input from survivor advisory councils and victim-service advocates. The committee did not vote on the changes and deferred detailed consideration to a future meeting.

No formal actions were taken on April 23; staff said the language is available online for review and that counsel and advocates will return with more detailed statutory drafting.