Clicking on any of the Vermont Counties or Cities below will direct you to a list of all the City Jails, County Jails and Juvenile Detention Centers in that specific County.
Jails in Vermont differ from prisons in that jails are where offenders are transported and housed while they await trials for misdemeanor crimes and felonies. Many jails are large enough that they have the resources and space to separate misdemeanor, non-violent offenders from violent offenders such as a those accused of homicide. Smaller jails tend to mix all types of inmates together. Because of that all jails, except for minimum security worker facilities, of which there are very few, are considered maximum security.
Jails also house convicted offenders who have been sentenced to one year or less. On the other hand, if an offender receives a sentence of more than twelve months, they are sent to a Vermont State Prison, or in the case of someone who is found guilty of a federal offense, to the United States Bureau of Prisons.
Vermont has 8 jails and prisons covering its 14 counties, housing approximately 1,500 inmates. Vermont has a unified system in which the counties and states share in the burden of joint incarceration.
Vermont has only one secure detention center for juveniles; the Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center.
Juveniles incarcerated in this detention center is awaiting trial for a crime they are accused of committing that is serious enough that the judge has decided they must await trial in a lockup, or they have already been convicted and sentenced and are doing their time.
The Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center is as secure as any jail. They also have the resources for the youths to keep up with their schoolwork and to maintain positive relationships with family members who will be there for them upon their release.
For a person who has never spent any time in a county jail, just the thought of it can bring on the feeling of fear and anxiety.
Every jail in Vermont is different, and that often has to do with the staff employed there. Correction Officials who maintain a strict but fair environment -- treating inmates with respect, but making it clear that any infraction of the rules will never be tolerated -- tend to have a jail population that is less violent and more orderly.
Officers who play favorites, treating some inmates better than others based upon their race or other factors, and who don’t enforce the jail’s rules consistently, tend to have jails in which the inmates run the facility. That can lead to more violence, contraband such as drugs flowing through, alcoholic beverages being made, food insecurity and a generally poor environment for all.
There are a range of emotions that all inmates have to deal with, but the most difficult times are definitely reserved for those who are experiencing jail for the first time. As outlined below, these are just a few of things a male or female inmate might be facing:
He is in jail. He is presumed to be guilty. He is frightened of the people around him and fears for his safety. His future is now empty. He is vulnerable. He is cold. He has no glasses and can’t see clearly. He has no cell phone. He has a limited access to call you if you choose to take the call. His job is in jeopardy. The custody of his children is in question. He is hungry. He faces extended jail or prison time.
He is treated with disdain and disgust by the authorities. He is strip searched. He has no privacy. All his comfort foods are not available. The jail food is bland, awful, and limited. He is being challenged physically and mentally by inmates who sense his fear and uncertainty. He has no internet access. He is thirsty. He is worried about his children. He is worried about his family. He is ashamed of what his friends and family think. He has no one to speak with. He has nowhere to go to ask questions about what to expect. He is worried about his apartment or home. He is worried about his pet. He is worried about his girlfriend or spouse. He is worried about his car. He is worried about his personal belongings.
His jail clothes are itchy, uncomfortable and don’t fit. His bed is hard, uncomfortable, and is kept awake by the snoring of others. He must wait for mail every day, hoping he hears from loved ones. He must wait for a visit that may or may not ever come. If he’s an addict; whether it be drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes, he is going through withdrawal. The nights are long as this is when the demons arrive and fill his head with more doubt and fear.
But given how uncomfortable and difficult jail is, because of the recent change in most Vermont jails where special tablets with movies, music, books, educational and entertainment content, video terminals, instant messages, video visits, gift packages that can be shipped in, in some cases local deliveries of hot food, online money deposits and more, jail is becoming much more comfortable and easier to deal with than it once was.
On every one of the jail pages in Vermont, as well as throughout this website, we provide the information on how you can hook your inmate up with these services from your home computer.
By having access to these jail services, and the fear of losing the right to access these privileges, even the most troublesome and violent inmates now have a reason to not cause trouble and make life easier for themselves, other inmates, and the staff.