Vermont Statutes
Chapter 163 - Public Defenders
§ 5259. Duty to investigate

§ 5259. Duty to investigate
(a) The Defender General shall investigate issues related to the health, safety, and welfare of inmates in correctional facilities and shall receive the cooperation of all State agencies in carrying out this duty. Issues that require an investigation by the Defender General shall, at a minimum, include:
(1) the death of an inmate;
(2) a suicide attempt that requires more than 24 hours of emergency hospitalization; and
(3) a critical incident that results in injury to an inmate from an assault, use of force, or accident in a correctional facility that requires more than 24 hours of emergency hospitalization.
(b)(1) When an incident enumerated in subdivisions (a)(1)-(3) of this section occurs, the Department of Corrections shall notify the Defender General as soon as reasonably practicable.
(2) The Commissioner shall report weekly to the Defender General regarding any critical incident that negatively impacts the health, safety, or welfare of an inmate, the conditions of confinement, or the adequacy of care provided to inmates.
(c) In carrying out the duties under this section, the Defender General:
(1) Shall be given reasonable unaccompanied access to the correctional facility and inmates and is authorized to speak with any relevant personnel from the Department of Corrections and other State agencies subject to the individual’s constitutional rights and to legitimate law enforcement concerns regarding preservation of a criminal investigation, if any.
(2) Shall be given broad access to records concerning the incident and any inmates involved in the incident. In response to a request for records from the Defender General, the Commissioner of Corrections shall provide the records promptly and no subpoena or public records request shall be required. Records subject to this section include video or audio recordings.
(d) The Defender General is authorized to protect the confidentiality of sources in the course of an investigation pursuant to this section. Work product generated in the course of representation of a client that contains confidential communication between an inmate and the Defender General shall not be discoverable and records of communications between inmates and the Defender General may be redacted.
(e) Where appropriate, the Defender General shall report to the Department of Corrections and the Joint Committee on Corrections Oversight identifying any concerns and suggested policy changes that arise from an incident that resulted in an investigation. (Added 2013, No. 110 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. April 22, 2014.)

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