Invest in People, Not Prisons

Act Now

Conversations in the Vermont legislature this year have been dominated by concerns about public safety, and we have seen a flood of proposals that aim to address these concerns by creating new crimes or passing harsher criminal penalties – a strategy we know simply does not work.

Our communities are struggling. We all know it and we can all feel it. But evidence and experience show us that the only way to solve these problems is to address the root causes. When we meet people's basic needs – housing, health care, education – everyone can thrive.

We also know that harsher criminal penalties do not deter crime or reduce the likelihood that someone might commit future crimes after incarceration. The U.S. Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice found that increasing the severity of punishment does not deter crime and that prisons may actually exacerbate recidivism.

Ensuring that everyone has access to housing will make our communities stronger and more vibrant – criminalizing unhoused people will not. Harm reduction approaches to address the overdose crisis will save lives and make our communities safer – further criminalizing drug use will not.

Too often, we use incarceration to address behavior that results from substance use disorder or untreated mental health conditions – and our criminal law system disproportionately targets people of color. Here's a snapshot of the data:

70% of the people incarcerated are prescribed some form of medication for mental health conditions compared to approximately 16% of the general population, according to the VT Department of Corrections.
Also from the VT Department of Corrections, 60% of the people incarcerated in the state of Vermont are receiving medication for opioid use disorder, while only one percent of the general population has opioid use disorder.
In Vermont a Black person is 7 times more likely than a white person to be incarcerated and people of Hispanic origin are 4.5 times more likely to be incarcerated. Learn more from the VT Department of Corrections.

We are asking you to contact your legislators today and remind them we cannot incarcerate our way out of the problems we face. Ask lawmakers to invest in solutions that address the root causes of crime and make our communities stronger – and to reject failed policies that rely on criminalization and incarceration.

Recipients:
Your State Senator
Your State House Representative

[The Form Label field is hidden on ACLU message action forms]

Your Message

Use the form to send a message to your legislator.

Subject

I write today because I am concerned with the number of proposals that advance criminalization and incarceration as the solution to Vermont’s problems.

Our communities are struggling. We all know it and we can all feel it. But evidence and experience show us that the only way to solve these problems is to address the root causes. When we meet people’s basic needs everyone can thrive, and we are all safer.

Ensuring that everyone has access to housing will make our communities stronger and more vibrant - criminalizing unhoused people will not. Harm reduction approaches to address the overdose crisis will save lives and make our communities safer - further criminalizing drug use will not.

Message Body

The issues we are facing in Vermont are undeniable. From the decades-long housing crisis to a worsening opioid epidemic, these problems are not new, nor are they unique to our state. Years of underinvestment and policies that drove mass incarceration have frayed the social fabric of our communities.
  
To put it simply, we cannot incarcerate our way out of the problems we face.  
 
We know that harsher penalties don't deter crime, longer sentences don't prevent future crime, and the safest, most vibrant communities are ones that have chosen to invest in their own well-being. Vermont needs these types of investments now more than ever.

Our communities deserve proven, evidence-based strategies that focus on the root causes of issues like housing, healthcare, and substance use - not more of the same costly, punitive, and ineffective policies that have failed us for so long.

As your constituent, I am asking that you actively oppose policies and bills that ignore root causes and instead focus on criminalization and incarceration. Please support legislation that leads to stable, resilient communities where all people who call Vermont home can contribute and thrive.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

Your Information

All data you enter here will be shared with the message recipient along with your message, per our privacy statement.

Salutation *

(required by some officials)

ABOUT HONORIFIC TITLES

Many public officials use "web mail forms" that this system will send your message to, so you don't have to visit their web sites to communicate with them. The systems that some of these officials use requires that the honorific field be used (Mr., Mrs., Miss, etc.).

Unfortunately, we do not have control of which honorific titles are presented as options. We must adhere to what the officials are using in order for your message to be delivered.

Alternate Salutation

Most elected officials’ constituent email systems accept a very limited set of salutations. Please select the one you would most prefer.

First name *

Last name *

E-mail address *

Address *

Address Line 2

City *

State *

Zip Code *

Phone *

Phone Type *

Show my name in a list of action takers.

Sign me up for ACLU emails so I can stay informed and take action to protect people's rights.

I agree to receive calls and texts (including automated recurring text messages) from the ACLU and its state affiliates at the number I provided above about ways to take action and support the ACLU organizations. Message & Data Rates May Apply. Text STOP to quit. Privacy Statement

Leave this field blank

Invest in People, Not Prisons

Act Now

Recent participants