VTDigger37%
Expedited judicial process coming to Windham County court 11%
By Brattleboro Reformer0%
7/15/2026, 11:01:02 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 12 faulty reasoning types, including Hasty Generalization, Self-Serving Bias, and In-Group Bias, with Optimism Bias as the most egregious example at 11.4% saturation with 106 hits. Analysis detected 613 faulty-reasoning hits from 930 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 27.7% and a BS Rank of 11% (14,517 of 16,252 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 89.30% of the article peer group.
State’s Attorney Steve Brown shows some of the drug evidence with Brattleboro Police Officer Seth Wild as he takes the stand during a trial in August 2024.
File photo by Brattleboro Reformer
This story by Chris Mays was first published in the Brattleboro Reformer on July 14, 2026.
BRATTLEBORO — Defendants in criminal court in Windham County will soon be resolving cases and receiving immediate services through the Rapid Accountability Docket.
“Recidivism can only be reduced by shrinking the window between an arrest and a court interaction,” Windham County State’s Attorney Steve Brown said in an announcement.
“Our office is taking a proactive role by making early plea offers, backed by real-time coordination with the Agency of Human Services, the Department of Corrections, and local service providers from Day 1.”
The Windham County state’s attorney’s office announced Tuesday that in close partnership with the governor’s office, Vermont Judiciary, Agency of Human Services, Department of Corrections, Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, local and statewide law enforcement including the Windham County Sheriff’s Department, and social service providers, it will participate in the Rapid Accountability Docket starting next week.
The initiative is described as “a concentrated, 90-day county surge of dedicated judicial time and space.”
Brown said the court has identified cases that are believed to be appropriate for the program.
“They are looking at defendants with five or more pending cases,” he said in an interview.
“It could include cases in mental health status.
It could include violations of probation.”
A list includes about 30 defendants, with the top eight having a combined 96 pending court dockets.
Various social service providers in Brattleboro have been “extremely supportive of these efforts,” Brown said.
They include Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, Brattleboro Housing Partnerships, Brattleboro Police Department Community Support Liaisons/Brattleboro Resource Assistance Team Unit, Brattleboro Retreat, Groundworks Collaborative, Health Care & Rehabilitation Services, Healthworks ACT, Interaction, Pathways Vermont, Savida Health and Senior Solutions.
“I think it piggybacks off the work that the Brattleboro Police Department has done with the Situation Table and the work that we have done at One Brattleboro,” Brown said of collaborative efforts in town.
“We were really able to tap into some pre-existing resources … so I am really thankful for the community support.”
Brown said he thinks the initiative will “benefit Windham County greatly.”
Elizabeth Fainberg, deputy state’s attorney, and Leah James, victim advocate, from his office will be dedicated to the effort.
“The strategic goal is swift intervention: dramatically reducing the time between an alleged offense and a defendant’s first appearance before a judge,” the announcement states.
“By accelerating this timeline, the justice system can deliver immediate accountability, case resolution, and rehabilitative services close to the event, meaningfully interrupting the cycle of repeat offenses.”
To maintain a rapid turnaround, the court has committed to a daily schedule, according to the announcement.
At the end of the 90 days, the plan is for the court to address any remaining needs based on the data and outcomes established.
“For defendants who willingly participate, they may be able to resolve their dockets at a much faster pace and with a more favorable outcome,” Sen.
Nader Hashim, D-Windham, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told the Reformer.
“While progress has been made in reducing the backlog, it remains one of the biggest challenges facing our courts, and this has an impact on public safety.
When cases are pending for years, accountability, rehabilitation and restitution will also be delayed for defendants, victims and the community.”
Momentum for establishing the docket in Windham County began during the legislative session, Hashim said.
“Windham County has one of the busiest dockets in the state,” he said.
“After we saw the success of the docket in Chittenden County, we worked with the judiciary and executive branches to initiate the process here.”
Rep.
Ian Goodnow, D-Windham-9, an attorney who recently became a prosecutor in Windsor County and came up with the name for the initiative, said each docket could include multiple pending charges, which may be misdemeanors or felonies.
“When you have an individual, who because of their circumstances, they’re not showing up to court, they have 10 pending dockets, their cases just linger because they’re not there,” Goodnow said in an interview.
“Arrest warrants go out for them.”
If a defendant misses a court hearing, a new criminal charge comes for violating conditions of release.
Individuals “clearly falling through the system begin to rack up additional charges because their cases have lingered too long,” Goodnow said.
Goodnow said the Rapid Accountability Docket provides needed tools to address public safety concerns heard in Brattleboro and Windham County but also helps defendants.
“From my experience, I think it’s a really important way for us to be taking some concrete steps toward addressing a very real issue in the system,” he said.
Goodnow said defendants face barriers, such as significant mental health or substance issues or lack of housing, which hamper their ability to get rehabilitated and for the state to hold them accountable.
Getting them immediate access to services allows for both, he said, and they’re no longer causing damage in the community.
Brown credited the local legislative delegation for being “very proactive in making this happen,” and recognized the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs and the governor’s office for their support.
“Multiple groups made this happen,” he said.
“And of course, we’re very supportive of getting these extra resources to help deal with the backlog.”
Read the story on VTDigger here: Expedited judicial process coming to Windham County court .
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