BJS SJS 2021 Core Capacity Project and the Special Emphasis Project.

The Vermont SAC proposes three projects: Core Capacity Project - Property Crimes in Vermont: This study will be a comprehensive analysis of the scope and extent of property crimes. Between 2015 and 2019, property offenses accounted for 70.88% of all offenses reported to NIBRS in Vermont. During the same time period, the criminal court disposed of 15,742 property charges. accounting for 13% of all criminal charges disposed. Using data from NIBRS, the courts, and criminal histories, this study will analyze arrest patterns, prosecution, convictions, and sentencing. Changes in the penalties and thresholds for several property crimes are being contemplated to promote racial justice and economic justice in the criminal justice system. This study will serve as a baseline to inform immediate policy decisions and to measure the effects of future policy changes. Special Emphasis 1: A study of DUIs in Vermont. This project will provide a comprehensive analysis of DUI offenses from 2010-2019, examining trends and patterns. This research will use court data and criminal histories. During the proposed study period, the criminal court disposed of 29,563 DUI charges. These charges made up 18% of all disposed charges during the time frame. Despite the prevalence of DUI offenses, no comprehensive study on DUI patterns and recidivism has been conducted since 2008 when the SAC studied the impact of legislation on DUI processing and felony DUI recidivism. This will be the first comprehensive look at all DUI offenses and offenders that the SAC has undertaken in over 10 years. The study will include a descriptive analysis and using regression analysis on criminal histories will predict factors that contribute to recidivism, the sentence imposed, and final adjudicated charges. Special Emphasis 2: The Impact of Stacking Charges. Vermont disposes of about 96% of its criminal cases by a plea of guilty. Criminal charge stacking is when a prosecutor charges a defendant with a series of offenses describing the same behavior with differing penalties to exact a guilty plea for at least one of the charges and perhaps a harsher sentence than an individual would get if only one offense was charged in the case. The SAC will create a metric to measure stacked charges using NIBRS data, court data, and criminal histories to understand how stacking charges influence guilty pleas and sentencing.