http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20140114/NEWS02/701149939/1003
Vermont Corrections Commissioner Andrew Pallito speaks Monday at a meeting of the Springfield Rotary Club. Photo: Photo by Len EmeryPublished January 14, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Pallito supports restoration of community liaison committee By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — Corrections Commissioner Andrew Pallito said Monday the state supports resuming a community liaison committee with the town of Springfield dealing with issues at the state prison in Springfield. Pallito, speaking at the Springfield Rotary Club, spoke in support of Gov. Peter Shumlin’s plan to put more emphasis on treatment for substance abusers rather than jail sentences. Shumlin’s State of the State address last week focused entirely on the opiate abuse problem facing the state. Pallito, who was first appointed corrections commissioner by former Gov. James Douglas six years ago, said the Springfield prison, which opened in 2004, had become a “transportation hub” for inmates leaving the state for out-of-state prisons and for those out of state who are returning to Vermont. In addition, he said, the elderly population in Vermont’s prisons — anyone older than 50, he said — would likely be at the Springfield prison because of what Pallito said was a “state-of-the-art” infirmary. Last month, Howard Godfrey, 67, a convicted murderer from Kirby, died at the Springfield prison from what officials called a pre-existing medical condition. Pallito said the per capita costs for inmates in Vermont ranged between $55,000 and $57,000 a year. He said because Vermont has seven community prisons, rather than one big prison, costs are higher. Bob Flint, executive director of the Springfield Regional Development Corp., questioned Pallito why a once-promised vocational building was never built at the Springfield prison. Pallito said the extra costs of building an access road up a steep incline to the prison site had wiped out the budget for the vocational building when the prison was built. But he said he supported having vocational activities for the inmates. “Four hundred people have a lot of idle time,” he said. Flint also questioned why the prison’s community liaison committee had been dropped, about a year after the prison opened. The prison received its first inmate in October 2003. Construction had started in 2002 after years of negotiations with Springfield town officials about hosting the state’s maximum-security prison. According to Town Manager Bob Forguites, the original committee was “very active” with a lot of feedback from the town residents on the new prison. “Basically, we were telling them how to run the prison,” he said. The committee was discontinued shortly afterward, he said. The prison, which is off Interstate 91 on a hill out of sight, houses about 400 inmates and is one of seven prisons in the state. It is the state’s newest prison, and it’s where some of Vermont’s most serious criminals are sent. Inmates with long sentences are generally shipped out of state to facilities in Kentucky. Kristi Morris, chairman of the Springfield School Board, later told Pallito that the public perception in Springfield was that crime had gone up in town since the prison opened. Morris said personally he didn’t believe the prison was the reason for the increase, but that was a complaint he heard in town. “Obviously, substance abuse is ramping up and petty crime with it,” Morris said. “Heavy crimes,” such as murder, sexual assault and bank robbery, are still rare, he said. “I think he is trying to be as open as he can be,” Morris said after Pallito’s talk.
Despite the apparent much higher than normal percentage of drug addicts and sex offenders in Springfield, despite empty store front after empty store front, despite the unacceptable high school drop out rate, despite low property valuations and the consequent very high property tax rate, does Kristi Morris believe or see anything amiss with Springfield??
ReplyDeleteAfter living in Springfield for four years and observing the above, I ask why live here? And I am the type of person Springfield should be attempting to attract to live here in that I am educated, financially secure, pay my taxes on time, etc. But one has to ask themselves what is the point in staying? (This is of course if selling is even possible without losing $30-40,000)
Springfield needs some new leadership, someone who has some bold ideas. Unfortunately, I do not see that in Morris or the town manager. I mean all it should take is one short walk on Main Street to realize that all things Springfield are not very rosy.
Spot on! You've formed such an accurate view after only four years of putting up with the likes of these blind so-called leaders, yet the majority of the town's residents continue to tolerate them. You are wise to consider moving, because Springfield has become every bit the "prison town" that it used to rib Windsor about when that town hosted a state prison years ago.
ReplyDeleteShumey's insidious plan is obvious - boot as many of the inmates out on the streets as possible under the guise that they'll receive "counseling" or "treatment" for their vices. That frees the state from paying the freight on keeping them where they ought to be while subjecting towns like Springfield to the endless nightmare of these threats roaming the streets and preying on what's left of a once fine town.
Don't count on Morris, Forguites, or any of the other members of town government to do anything about it. They'll just put on their rose-colored glasses before taking that walk down Main Street that you recommend.
If the situation wasn't so abysmally sad, it would be laughable.
Fascinating post, 12:10! I'm surprised but glad you decided to move here. What was it that made you settle on Springfield, rather than flee to the countryside? Maybe there's a germ of an idea hidden there. We sure could use it!
ReplyDeleteSpringfield is not yet ready for bold ideas, in my opinion, unless they are spoken by somebody with a lot of credibility. Unfortunately, the only thing that provides credibility around here seems to be a reputation for being wealthy. If Jim Douglas came to town and said, "You should do this," he'd get a lot more traction than if Martha Hennessy did the same, yet Martha probably has better ideas for long-term solutions.
If you'd like to get involved in solutions, get in contact with people you think might contribute.
Here we go again with another dimwit wanting a liason/forum/panel/committee the state and the town LOVE LOVE LOVE to have these talking comittees don't they. Keeps the loudmouths busy so they don't inform or enlighten anyone. This is crazy!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting comments, more people like you should speak up. You are exactly the resident should be trying to recruit and retain, but it seems like we are losing more of our middle and upper middle class to towns like Chester, Weathersfield, Reading, and others. I wonder why? I wonder if they even care?
ReplyDeleteRe: According to Town Manager Bob Forguites, the original committee was “very active” with a lot of feedback from the town residents on the new prison. “Basically, we were telling them how to run the prison,” he said.
ReplyDeleteCare to rephrase that statement, Bob? Springfield can't even effectively run its own affairs, much less profess to tell a state organization how to run theirs!
And if Springfield was telling them how to operate, did they also recommend that Springfield Prison serve as the "prison transportation hub" for the state? Did Springfield recommend that the Springfield Prison construct a "state of the art" infirmary - which likely came at the expense of the promised but undelivered upon vocational center.