VT Attorney General T.J. Donovan: Yes to reform, no to private prisons

On January 23, 2018, Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan issued a statement strongly opposing a plan by Gov. Phil Scott to build a $140 million 925-bed private prison in Vermont. “Vermonters should ask some tough questions about whether there is a better way to address the need for correctional facilities in the state of Vermont,” wrote Donovan. Attorney General Donovan explains why he has taken the unusual step of coming out strongly and early against the governor’s plan. “I hope his leadership on this issue can be replicated nationally,” responded ACLU deputy director Bill Cobb.

T.J. Donovan, James Lyall, Bill Cobb, Ashley Sawyer, Vermont Attorney General, executive director, ACLU of Vermont, deputy director, ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice, Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform, formerly incarcerated