Section 163 - [Effective 7/1/2025] Juvenile court diversion program(a) Purpose. (1) The Attorney General shall develop and administer a juvenile court diversion program, for both pre-charge and post-charge referrals to youth-appropriate community-based restorative justice providers, for the purpose of assisting children or youth charged with delinquent acts. (2) The program shall be designed to provide a restorative option for children or youth alleged to have caused harm in violation of a criminal statute or who have been charged with violating a criminal statute and subject to a delinquency or youthful offender petition filed with the Family Division of the Superior Court, as well as for victims or those acting on a victim's behalf who have been allegedly harmed by the responsible party. The juvenile diversion program may accept referrals to the program as follows:(A) Pre-charge by law enforcement or prosecutors where a child or youth has committed any criminal offense or delinquency and pursuant to a policy adopted in accordance with subdivisions (c)(1)-(2) of this section.(B) Post-charge by prosecutors for children or youth charged with a first or a second misdemeanor or a first nonviolent felony, or other offenses as the prosecutor deems appropriate, pursuant to subdivision (c)(3) of this section.(b) Administration; report.(1) Beginning on July 1, 2025, the Attorney General shall support the operation of diversion programs in each of the State's counties through grants of financial assistance to, or contracts for services with, a single municipality or organization to provide community-based restorative justice programs and services in each county. Upon approval of the Attorney General, the single municipality or organization receiving a grant pursuant to this section may issue subgrants to diversion providers or execute subcontracts for diversion services.(2) The Juvenile Pre-Charge Diversion Program established pursuant to this section shall operate only to the extent funds are appropriated to the Office of the Attorney General, the Department of State's Attorneys and Sheriffs, and the Office of the Defender General to carry out the Program.(3) In consultation with community-based restorative justice providers, the Office of the Attorney General shall develop program outcomes following the designated State of Vermont performance accountability framework and, in consultation with the Department of State's Attorneys and Sheriffs, the Office of the Defender General, the Center for Crime Victim Services, the Judiciary, and the Division of Racial Justice Statistics of the Office of Racial Equity, report annually on or before December 1 to the General Assembly on services provided and outcome indicators. As components of the report required by this subsection, the Attorney General shall include data on the number of pre-charge and post-charge diversion program referrals in each county; race, gender, age, and other demographic variables, whenever possible; offenses charged and crime types; successful completion rates; and possible causes of any geographical disparities.(4) The Attorney General is authorized to accept grants and gifts for the purposes of this section, such acceptance being pursuant to 32 V.S.A. § 5.(5) In consultation with community-based restorative justice providers, the Center for Crime Victims Services, the Department of State's Attorneys and Sheriffs' Victim Advocates, the Division for Racial Justice Statistics of the Office of Racial Equity, and the State Archivist, the Attorney General shall adopt a policies and procedures manual for community-based restorative justice providers to promote a uniform system across the State in compliance with this section. The manual shall include policies and procedures related to: (A) informing victims of their rights and role in pre-charge and post-charge diversion, including that such information is available in writing upon request;(B) the timely notification to victims of a referral to pre- and post-charge diversion;(C) an invitation to victims to engage in the restorative process;(D) how to share information with a victim concerning a restorative agreement's conditions related to the victim and any progress made on such conditions;(E) best practices for collecting data from all parties that engage with the pre-charge and post-charge diversion programs; and(F) confidentiality expectations for all parties who engage in the restorative process.(c) Juvenile diversion program policy and referral requirements.(1)Juvenile pre-charge diversion policy required. Each county's State's Attorney's office shall adopt a juvenile pre-charge diversion referral policy. To encourage fair and consistent juvenile pre-charge diversion referral policies and methods statewide, the Department of State's Attorneys and Sheriffs and the Community Justice Unit shall publicly post the policies adopted by each State's Attorney's office.
(2) Juvenile pre-charge diversion policy contents. A county's State's Attorney's juvenile pre-charge diversion program policy shall include the following:(A) Criteria to determine whether a child or youth is eligible to participate in juvenile pre-charge diversion.(B) Any appropriate documentation to accompany a referral to juvenile pre-charge diversion, including the name and contact information of the child or youth and the child or youth's parent or legal guardian; the name and contact information of the victim or victims; and a factual statement or affidavit of probable cause of the alleged incident.(C) A procedure for returning a case to the law enforcement agency or the prosecutor, including when: (i) the prosecutor withdraws any juvenile pre-charge referral from the juvenile pre-charge diversion program;(ii) the community-based restorative justice provider determines that the matter is not appropriate for juvenile pre-charge programming; and(iii) when a child or youth does not successfully complete juvenile pre-charge diversion programming.(D) A statement reiterating that the State's Attorney retains final discretion over the cases that are eligible for diversion and may deviate from the adopted policy in accordance with such discretion.(3) Juvenile post-charge diversion requirements. Each State's Attorney, in cooperation with the Office of the Attorney General and the juvenile post-charge diversion program, shall develop clear criteria for deciding what types of offenses and offenders will be eligible for diversion; however, the State's Attorney shall retain final discretion over the referral of each case for diversion. All juvenile post-charge diversion programs receiving financial assistance from the Attorney General shall adhere to the following:(A) The juvenile post-charge diversion program for children or youth shall only accept individuals against whom a petition has been filed and the court has found probable cause, but are not adjudicated.(B) A prosecutor may refer a child or youth to diversion either before or after a preliminary hearing and shall notify in writing to the diversion program and the court of the prosecutor's referral to diversion.(C) If a child or youth is charged with a qualifying crime as defined in 13 V.S.A. § 7601(4)(A) and the crime is a misdemeanor, the prosecutor shall provide the child or youth with the opportunity to participate in the court diversion program unless the prosecutor states on the record at the preliminary hearing or a subsequent hearing why a referral to the post-charge program would not serve the ends of justice. Factors considered in the ends-of-justice determination include the child's or youth's delinquency record, the views of the alleged victim or victims, and the need for probationary supervision.(D) Notwithstanding this subsection (c), the diversion program may accept cases pursuant to 33 V.S.A. §§ 5225(c) and 5280(e).(d) Confidentiality. (1) The matter shall become confidential when notice of a pre-charge referral is provided to the juvenile diversion program, or when notice of a post-charge referral is provided to the court.(2) All information related to any offense gathered in the course of the juvenile diversion process shall be held strictly confidential and shall not be released without the participant's prior consent.(3) Information related to any offense that a person divulges in preparation for, during, or as a follow-up to the provision of the juvenile diversion programming shall not be used against the person in any criminal, civil, family, juvenile, or administrative investigation, prosecution, or case for any purpose, including impeachment or cross-examination. However, the fact of participation and success, or reasons for failure, may become part of the prosecutor's records. This subsection shall not be construed to prohibit the limited disclosure or use of information to specific persons in the following circumstances: (A) Where there is a threat or statement of a plan that a person may reasonably believe is likely to result in death or bodily injury to themselves or others or damage to the property of another person.(B) When disclosure is necessary to report bodily harm any party causes another during restorative justice programming.(C) When disclosure to other community-based restorative justice providers is necessary to facilitate coordination for an individual who has more than one active referral before different community justice providers.(D) Where there is a reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect of a child or vulnerable adult and a report is made pursuant to the provisions of 33 V.S.A. § 4914 or 33 V.S.A. § 6903 or to comply with any law.(E) Where a court or administrative tribunal determines that the materials were submitted by a participant in the program for the purpose of avoiding discovery of the material in a court or administrative proceeding. If a participant wishes to avail themselves of this provision, the participant may disclose this information in camera to a judicial officer for the purposes of seeking such a ruling.(4)(A) Notwithstanding subdivision (2) of this subsection (d), if law enforcement or the prosecutor refers a case to diversion, upon the victim's request, the juvenile diversion program shall provide information relating to the conditions of the diversion contract regarding the victim, progress made on such conditions, and information that assists with obtaining the victim's compensation.(B) Victim information that is not part of the public record shall not be released without the victim's prior consent.(C) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a victim's exercise of rights as otherwise provided by law.(e) Rights and responsibilities. (1) Juvenile court diversion programs shall be set up to respect the rights of participants.
(2)(A) Diversion candidates shall be informed of their right to the advice, assistance, and access to private counsel or the public defender at all stages of the diversion process, including the initial decision to participate and the decision to accept the juvenile diversion contract, so that the candidate may give informed consent.(B) For the pre-charge diversion program, notwithstanding the financial need determination pursuant to 13 V.S.A. § 5236, the diversion program shall inform the candidate that a public defender is available for consultation at public expense upon the request of the candidate.(C) The candidate shall be informed that participation in the diversion program is voluntary.(3) Any victims shall be notified of the victim's rights and role in the pre-charge diversion process, including notification of a candidate's referral to the pre-charge diversion program by the pre-charge diversion program.
(f) Records; deletion and expungement.(1) Pre-charge diversion records deletion. (A) Not later than 10 days after the successful completion of the pre-charge diversion program, the juvenile diversion program shall notify the victim, law enforcement agency, and the State's Attorney's office of the participant's successful completion. Payment of restitution is required for successful completion.(B) Within 30 days after the two-year anniversary notifying the State's Attorney's office of the participant's successful completion, the Attorney General shall provide notice that all records held by the diversion program shall be deleted.(C) Within 30 days after the two-year anniversary notifying the law enforcement agency and the State's Attorney's office of the participant's successful completion, the Attorney General shall provide notice that all public records held by the law enforcement agency and the State's Attorney's office shall be deleted, including any held by the Attorney General. Records maintained on the Valcour database or other similar nonpublic databases maintained by a law enforcement agency, a State's Attorney's office, or the Department of State's Attorneys and Sheriffs shall be exempt from deletion and shall only be used for criminal justice purposes.(2) Pre-charge diversion case index. (A) The Community Justice Unit shall keep a special index of pre-charge diversion cases that have been deleted pursuant to this section together with the notice of deletion provided by the Attorney General. The index shall list only the name of the diversion participant, the individual's date of birth, a case number, date of case closure, location of programming, and the offense that was the subject of the deletion.(B) The special index and related documents specified in subdivision (A) of this subdivision (2) shall be confidential and shall be physically and electronically segregated in a manner that ensures confidentiality and that limits access to authorized persons.(C) Inspection of the notice may be permitted only upon request by the person who is the subject of the case. The Attorney General may permit special access to the index and the documents for research purposes pursuant to subdivision (g)(2) of this section.(D) The Community Justice Unit shall establish policies for implementing subsections (1)-(4) of this subsection (f).(3) Effect of deletion. Except as otherwise provided in this section, upon the notice to delete files and records under this section, the matter shall be considered never to have occurred; all index references thereto shall be deleted; and the participant, the Community Justice Unit, law enforcement officers and departments, prosecutors, the referring entity, and the diversion program shall reply to any request for information that no record exists with respect to such participant inquiry in any matter. Copies of the notice shall be sent to each agency, entity, or official named therein.(4) Deletion applicability. The process of automatically deleting records as provided in this section shall only apply to those persons who completed pre-charge diversion on or after July 1, 2025.(5) Post-charge diversion records expungement. Within 30 days after the two-year anniversary of a successful completion of post-charge diversion, the court shall provide notice to all parties of record of the court's intention to order the expungement of all court files and records, law enforcement records, fingerprints, and photographs other than entries in the court diversion program's centralized filing system applicable to the proceeding. However, the court shall not order expungement if the participant does not satisfy each of subdivisions (A)-(C) of this subdivision. The court shall give the State's Attorney an opportunity for a hearing to contest the expungement of the records. The court shall expunge the records if it finds:(A) two years have elapsed since the successful completion of the juvenile post-charge diversion program by the participant;(B) the participant has not been convicted of a subsequent felony or misdemeanor during the two-year period, and no proceedings are pending seeking such conviction; and(C) the participant does not owe restitution related to the case.(6) Expungement of sealed records. The court may expunge any records that were sealed pursuant to this subsection prior to July 1, 2018 unless the State's Attorney's office that prosecuted the case objects. Thirty days prior to expunging a record pursuant to this subdivision, the court shall provide written notice of its intent to expunge the record to the State's Attorney's office that prosecuted the case.(7) Post-charge diversion case index. (A) The court and the Office of the Attorney General shall keep a special index of post-charge diversion cases that have been expunged pursuant to this section together with the expungement order. The index shall list only the name of the person convicted of the offense, the person's date of birth, the docket number, date of case closure, the court of jurisdiction, and the offense that was the subject of the expungement.(B) The special index and related documents specified in subdivision (A) of this subdivision (7) shall be confidential and shall be physically and electronically segregated in a manner that ensures confidentiality and that limits access to authorized persons.(C) Inspection of the expungement order and the certificate may be permitted only upon petition by the person who is the subject of the case. The Chief Superior Judge may permit special access to the index and the documents for research purposes pursuant to the rules for public access to court records.(D) The Court Administrator shall establish policies for implementing subdivisions (5)-(9) of this subsection (f).(8) Effect of expungement. Except as otherwise provided in this section, upon the entry of an order expunging files and records under this section, the proceedings in the matter shall be considered never to have occurred; all index references thereto shall be deleted; and the participant, the court, law enforcement officers and departments, prosecutors, the referring entity, and the diversion program shall reply to any request for information that no record exists with respect to such participant inquiry in any matter. Copies of the order shall be sent to each agency, entity, or official named therein.(9) Expungement applicability. The process of automatically expunging records as provided in this section shall only apply to those persons who completed diversion on or after July 1, 2002. Any person who completed diversion prior to July 1, 2002 must apply to the court to have the person's records expunged. Expungement shall occur if the requirements of subdivisions (5)-(8) of this subsection (f) are met.(g) Public Records Act exemption.
(1) Except as otherwise provided by this section, any records or information produced or acquired pursuant to this section shall be exempt from public inspection or copying under Vermont's Public Records Act.(2) Notwithstanding subdivision (1) of this subsection, a law enforcement agency, State's Attorney's office, court, or community-based restorative justice provider may disclose information to colleges, universities, public agencies of the State, and nonprofit research organizations that a community-based restorative justice provider has agreements with for use in connection with research projects of a public service nature, but no person associated with those institutions or agencies shall disclose that information in any manner that would reveal the identity of an individual who provided the information to the community-based restorative justice provider.(h) Subject to the approval of the Attorney General, the Vermont Association of Court Diversion Programs may develop and administer programs to assist persons under this section charged with delinquent, criminal, and civil offenses.(i) Notwithstanding subdivision (c)(1) of this section, the diversion program may accept cases from the Youth Substance Awareness Safety Program pursuant to 7 V.S.A. § 656 or 18 V.S.A. § 4230b. The confidentiality provisions of this section shall become effective when a notice of violation is issued under 7 V.S.A. § 656(b) or 18 V.S.A. § 4230b(b) and shall remain in effect unless the person fails to register with or complete the Youth Substance Awareness Safety Program.(j) Notwithstanding subdivision (c)(1) of this section, the diversion program may accept cases pursuant to 33 V.S.A. §§ 5225-5280.Amended by 2024, No. 180,§ 1, eff. 7/1/2025.Amended by 2023 , No. 5, § 1, eff. 7/1/2023.Added 1981, No. 206 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1995, No. 47 , § 1, eff. 4/20/1995; 1999, No. 160 (Adj. Sess.) , § 2; 2003, No. 157 (Adj. Sess.) , § 11; 2005, No. 198 (Adj. Sess.) , § 4, eff. 9/1/2006; 2007, No. 153 (Adj. Sess.), §28; 2009 , No. 12 , § 1; 2009 , No. 156 (Adj. Sess.), § E.201; 2018, No. 8 (Sp. Sess.), § 10, eff. 6/28/2018; 2019 , No. 77 , § 1, eff. 6/19/2019; 2019, No. 167 (Adj. Sess.) , § 1, eff. 10/7/2020.This section is set out more than once due to postponed, multiple, or conflicting amendments.