Vermont prison officials are asking St. Johnsbury for permission to add 12 beds to the Caledonia Community Work Camp and drop a ban on housing violent offenders there.
David Peebles, of the state Department of Corrections, told the town’s select board Monday that the state is under pressure to use all of its prisoner bed capacity to house inmates. He says the state saves $24,000 on every inmate it keeps in Vermont to avoid housing in out-of-state facilities.
He said the state wants to house people who’ve had "a history of minor violence" at the camp.
The Caledonian-Record reports that the change would take effect June 1.