For FY22 (July 2021-June 2022), the individuals incarcerated in the out-of-state prison decreased 20%. There were on average 138 individuals incarcerated in out-of-state prisons each month (low: 123, high: 154). Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, incarcerated individuals housed in-state and out-of-state was steadily increasing. For a period during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, transports to the out-of-state unit were suspended. Additionally, as incarcerated individuals returned for programming and/or neared their release date, they were returned to an in-state facility. As a result, the total number of out-of-state incarcerated individuals decreased since FY20.

Out-of-state incarcerated individuals are currently residing at Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility (TCCF), which is a medium security correctional facility located in Tutwiler, Mississippi approximately 1,374 miles from Vermont's nearest in-state facility, Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, VT. This facility is not operated by the Mississippi Department of Corrections system, which means that it is not part of the Interstate Corrections Compact (ICC). The ICC requires that Vermont incarcerated individuals housed in another state’s facilities be governed by the rules in that state. The contract now in place with VitalCore allows for Vermont to include adherence to our laws, rules, and policies as part of the agreement with TCCF. The Vermont Department of Corrections is confident that the nature of this arrangement will enable us to maintain the most suitable and secure location to house those currently housed out of state.

The Vermont DOC is working to return as many out-of-state incarcerated individuals as possible to in-state facilities (as in-state housing capacity allows).