Orange County Sheriff

That depends on what the officer does next. A trooper or a Randolph officer can write a citation, which names a day to appear in Chelsea, and send the person home. Or the officer can lodge the person with DOC. In that case, a court appearance usually comes the next business day.

The first court date is called the arraignment. Every one for this county happens at the Orange Criminal Division, 5 Court Street, Chelsea, VT 05038, 802-685-4610. A person lodged at a DOC site may join by video from there. If they must be driven in, Sheriff's deputies make the trip.

• Lighter charges. For a crime whose top penalty stays under two years, or whose fine tops out at $1,000, someone the Court Administrator chooses may set bail before arraignment (13 V.S.A. § 7559a).
• Heavier charges. The judge sets conditions at the arraignment. Under Vermont law, a clerk can also act as the judicial officer.
• Domestic assault. After a citation for this charge, the arraignment has to be on the next business day, unless a good reason allows a delay (13 V.S.A. § 1048).

In Vermont the starting point is going home. A judge first looks at personal recognizance, which is simply a promise to return, or an unsecured appearance bond. With that bond, nobody pays a cent unless the person skips court. Only when neither choice would keep the person from fleeing can the judge add more (13 V.S.A. § 7554).

From there, the judge has to reach for the lightest step that does the job:

• Staying with a trusted adult whom the court approves
• Travel limits, or a ban on seeing certain people
• Getting help for drinking or drug use
• A secured appearance bond, with up to 10% left at the clerk's window and repaid once every court date is kept
• A bond signed by a surety, or cash for the full sum
• A curfew
• Pretrial supervision, or home detention on an ankle monitor

An order to stay away from a named victim or witness may be added too. It takes effect the moment it is made.

Vermont works without a price chart for charges. Each figure comes from the judge, one case at a time. The judge thinks about the charge itself and how many there are. Past no-shows count, and so does being on probation or already out on another case. What the person can actually pay must be weighed too.

A few limits keep amounts in check:

• Misdemeanor citations. If the person was cited for a misdemeanor, the first court date carries no bail at all (13 V.S.A. § 7551).
• Misdemeanors that can be sealed later. These also start with no bail. If money is truly needed to keep the person from running, $200 is the most a judge may ask, unless they were already out on a different case.
• Deposits. A secured appearance bond never asks for more than 10% up front.

Call the clerk at 802-685-4610 for the real number. Have the legal name and the birthday on a slip of paper.

Yes. When the courthouse is shut, DOC can take bail at the facility where the person sits. Staff then forward the receipt and a check to the court. Work through it this way:

1. Run the person's name through the Offender Locator to learn which site has them.
2. Phone that site. Find out the amount owed, the hours it accepts bail and the forms of payment it takes.
3. Pack a photo ID along with the exact sum.
4. Keep that receipt safe, because refunds lean on it.

DOC runs each of the sites below. Men from Orange County usually land at the first, and women at the second. Transfers happen, so call before you drive.

• Northeast Correctional Complex, 1266-1270 US Route 5, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819, 802-748-8151. The normal stop for men from Randolph, Bradford and nearby towns who await trial. It handles minimum through close custody and has a work camp in a second building.
• Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility, 7 Farrell Street, South Burlington, VT 05403, 802-863-7356. Holds every woman in DOC care, whether waiting for trial or sentenced, and also takes new admissions.
• Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility, 167 State Street, Rutland, VT 05701, 802-786-5830. Mainly men awaiting trial from Addison, Bennington and Rutland counties. Has a unit for youths when one is needed.
• Northern State Correctional Facility, 2559 Glen Road, Newport, VT 05855, 802-334-3364. With 433 beds it tops the list in size. It serves Essex and Orleans men before trial, sentenced men and violent-offense programs.
• Northwest State Correctional Facility, 3649 Lower Newton Road, St. Albans, VT 05478, 802-524-6771. Holds Franklin, Grand Isle and Chittenden County men, plus people held on federal charges.
• Southern State Correctional Facility, 700 Charlestown Road, Springfield, VT 05156, 802-909-2601. Men from Windham and Windsor counties, along with older men and those needing medical or mental health care.
• Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility, 19351 US Highway 49 North, Tutwiler, MS 38963. DOC rents space there for some sentenced men, so nobody there is waiting on bail. DOC Central Office answers questions about it at 802-241-2442.

Yes, during the hours the Chelsea clerk is at work. After the money is in, the court lets DOC know and passes along the release order.

1. Head to the Orange Criminal Division, 5 Court Street, Chelsea, VT 05038.
2. Arrive between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Holidays close the office, and so does staff training from 8:00 a.m. to noon each second Friday.
3. Before leaving home, dial 802-685-4610 to confirm the amount and the payment types the window takes.
4. Carry photo ID, plus the docket number if anyone gave you one.
5. Get a receipt that names you as the payer.

Questions in writing can go to OrangeUnit@vtcourts.gov.

Expect to pay in person, at the clerk's counter or at the DOC site. Rules on payment change now and then, so check first:

• The Chelsea clerk, 802-685-4610, can tell you what the court takes and who should be named as payee.
• Once the court has closed, the Northeast Correctional Complex, 1266-1270 US Route 5, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819, 802-748-8151, can answer for a man held there.
• For a woman, call Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility, 7 Farrell Street, South Burlington, VT 05403, 802-863-7356.
• Cash should never go in the mail.

You may see the Judiciary's card line, 802-652-1900, and its online payment page. Those are built for Judicial Bureau tickets, criminal fines and public defender fees. Bail goes through the counter or the facility.

Yes. To work here, an agent is licensed by Vermont's Department of Financial Regulation, sponsored by an insurer and cleared by the Court Administrator (13 V.S.A. § 7554a).

• You hand the agent a percentage, and the agent promises the court the entire bail amount.
• Whatever the outcome, that slice stays with the agent.
• If the agent takes collateral like a pickup's title, it must sit in a trust account.
• When a defendant skips court, the judge can order the agent to produce them.

Before signing with anyone, check the Judiciary's bail bond agent page for that person's name.

One bail pays for one case. Another hold can keep the door shut:

• A separate charge with its own conditions or bail
• A warrant out of a different court or state
• Trouble on probation or parole, both of which DOC oversees
• Time already being served on a sentence
• A hold for the U.S. Marshals tied to federal charges
• An ICE immigration detainer

Ask the facility to read you every hold before you hand over money. For a man from Orange County, that usually means the Northeast Correctional Complex, 1266-1270 US Route 5, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819, 802-748-8151.

Holding someone with no bail is rare. Vermont allows it in just two situations:

• A charge punishable by life in prison, when proof of guilt is strong (13 V.S.A. § 7553).
• A violent felony, when proof is strong and the judge is firmly convinced that no rules could stop a real danger to others (13 V.S.A. § 7553a).

Once bail is denied, trial has 60 days to begin. If it runs late and the defense is not to blame, the court must set a bail hearing quickly (13 V.S.A. § 7553b). A judge can also cancel release already given, for things like scaring a witness or missing court (13 V.S.A. § 7575).

Requests to hold someone come from the Orange County State's Attorney, 30 Upper Village Road, Chelsea, VT 05038 (mail to PO Box 116), 802-685-3036. Its lawyers must also share with the judge how the victim feels about bail.

Yes. Anyone still locked up because they can't meet their conditions may ask the court for a change, and the judge has 48 hours from the request to rule. People who are out with conditions get an answer within five working days (13 V.S.A. § 7554).

1. A motion goes in from the defense lawyer to the Orange Criminal Division.
2. The family gathers paycheck records, a rental or ownership paper, signs of local roots and an honest budget.
3. The lawyer proposes rules that ease the judge's concern, like counseling or a curfew.

A judge may order a risk assessment for someone lodged who can't post bail within a day. If the answer is still no, a single Supreme Court Justice can hear an appeal (13 V.S.A. § 7556). After a week in custody for want of bail money, a home detention review can be requested. The clerk at 802-685-4610 can explain scheduling.

A person facing a serious charge who can't pay for a lawyer may request one. The form, the court's application for public defender services, is filled out at arraignment. Eligibility is checked by the clerk, and a judge may overrule a refusal.

Defense work here is done by contract lawyers. The local office is the Orange County Public Defender, PO Box 273, Chelsea, VT 05038, 802-685-9944. Above it is the Office of the Defender General, 6 Baldwin Street, 4th Floor, Montpelier, VT 05633-3301, 802-828-3168.

• Expect a $50 assignment fee within 60 days, which the court can drop if the person has no means.
• Higher earners repay part of the defense cost, scaled to income.
• Nobody under 18 is ever billed (13 V.S.A. § 5238).

• Orange Criminal Division, Vermont Superior Court, 5 Court Street, Chelsea, VT 05038, 802-685-4610. All misdemeanors and felonies from the 17 towns land here, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Family, Civil and Probate Divisions work in the same building on the same line.
• Vermont Judicial Bureau, 55 Railroad Row, White River Junction, VT 05001, 802-652-1900. Speeding tickets and other civil violations go here, and it never sets bail.
• Federal court, Burlington, 11 Elmwood Avenue, Room 200, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-951-6301.
• Federal court, Rutland, 151 West Street, Room 204, Rutland, VT 05701, 802-773-0245.

A deposit on a secured appearance bond comes back after the person has gone to every court date the bond required. Until the court discharges it or the case reaches sentencing, the bond stays alive (13 V.S.A. § 7551). Guard the receipt. If it disappears, fill out the court's Lost Bail Receipt Affidavit.

The only thing that forfeits bail is a missed court date. Breaking a curfew or another rule does not (13 V.S.A. § 7560a).

• The State's Attorney files a motion to forfeit.
• The person who put up the money, or the surety, is notified and can be heard. Sureties have a 14-day window to reply.
• Later, a surety may ask to recover part or all of it if fairness calls for that (13 V.S.A. § 7570).

For refund help, reach the clerk at 802-685-4610.

Whatever sits in the DOC account is handed over at release in the form of a State of Vermont check. To collect clothing, a phone or other items, call the site first. For most men, that is the Northeast Correctional Complex, 1266-1270 US Route 5, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819, 802-748-8151. For women, it is Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility, 7 Farrell Street, South Burlington, VT 05403, 802-863-7356.

On that call, ask which ID you need and if a signed pickup permission from the person is required. Our page on DOC account money covers deposits and refunds.

Cases under U.S. law skip Chelsea and go to the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont. Its two clerk's offices are 11 Elmwood Avenue, Room 200, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-951-6301, and 151 West Street, Room 204, Rutland, VT 05701, 802-773-0245.

• A federal judge in Burlington or Rutland holds a detention hearing. The ruling there decides release before trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Until trial, the person stays under the U.S. Marshals Service, 11 Elmwood Avenue, Unit 601, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-951-6271. People on federal charges may sit in certain DOC sites or in jails in nearby states, and the Marshals can say which.
• Defense for those without money comes from the Federal Public Defender, 95 Pine Street, Suite 150, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-862-6990.
• Once a federal sentence begins, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator shows where the person is.

No. The ICE hold stays put even when every dollar of state bail is paid. In Vermont, things tend to go like this:

1. First, ICE mails DOC a Form I-247A detainer.
2. Under it, DOC can keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. ICE officers then collect the person. DOC reported a median ICE stay of six days in 2025.
4. The Boston Field Office handles Vermont from 1000 District Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803, 781-359-7500. Vermont's check-in office is 64 Gricebrook Road, St. Albans, VT 05478, 802-527-3801.
5. Track the person on the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

A Vermont law, 20 V.S.A. § 2366, ties every police force to one model fair and impartial policing policy. Local rules may be tougher on immigration contact, but never looser than the model.

At sentencing, the judge commits the person to the DOC Commissioner, and the Commissioner names the facility (28 V.S.A. § 701). DOC sorts each person by security level and needs, then assigns a site. DOC also contracts for beds for some sentenced men at the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility, 19351 US Highway 49 North, Tutwiler, MS 38963.

• The statewide locator shows the current site.
• For Mississippi placements, reach DOC Central Office, 280 State Drive, NOB 2 South, Waterbury, VT 05671-2000, 802-241-2442.
• For a write-up on each facility, open our Vermont state prisons page.

Teen cases belong to the Family Division, down the hall at 5 Court Street, Chelsea, VT 05038, 802-685-4610. A child must be at least 12 at the time of the act for a delinquency case. The division now hears most 18-year-olds too, leaving the very worst charges in adult court, and 19-year-olds move over on July 1, 2027.

• For a youth of 14, 15 or 16 facing a crime on the law's list, the law sets a 24-hour limit after arrest to be seen and released (13 V.S.A. § 7554).
• Red Clover Treatment Center, opened in October 2024, has four locked beds and is the only secure youth site in Vermont.
• DCF (the Department for Children and Families) watches over youths on juvenile probation from Family Services, located at 280 State Drive, Waterbury, VT 05671-1030 and has district offices around Vermont.

Both kinds go to the Orange Criminal Division, 5 Court Street, Chelsea, VT 05038, 802-685-4610. The dividing line in Vermont is the maximum term. Over two years, or life, or death, makes a felony. Two years or less makes a misdemeanor (13 V.S.A. § 1).

The Criminal Division also signs search and arrest warrants, can take serious fish and game or traffic cases, and hears appeals from Judicial Bureau rulings. Cases against youths belong to the Family Division, under the same roof. Plain traffic tickets and other civil violations start at the Vermont Judicial Bureau, 55 Railroad Row, White River Junction, VT 05001, 802-652-1900.

The Orange unit of the Superior Court shares one address, 5 Court Street, Chelsea, VT 05038, and one phone, 802-685-4610, across its Criminal, Family, Civil and Probate Divisions. Written questions go to OrangeUnit@vtcourts.gov.

• Open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Shut on observed holidays
• Shut from 8:00 a.m. to noon on the second Friday each month, for staff training

Other courts that may play a part in a case from here:

• Vermont Judicial Bureau, 55 Railroad Row, White River Junction, VT 05001, 802-652-1900, for tickets and civil violations
• U.S. District Court, Burlington, 11 Elmwood Avenue, Room 200, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-951-6301
• U.S. District Court, Rutland, 151 West Street, Room 204, Rutland, VT 05701, 802-773-0245

Every criminal case from the 17 towns, Randolph and Bradford included, is heard in Chelsea at the Orange Criminal Division, 5 Court Street, Chelsea, VT 05038, 802-685-4610. Breaking a Bradford or Randolph town rule counts as a civil matter, in the same family as a speeding or fishing ticket. Those go to the Vermont Judicial Bureau, 55 Railroad Row, White River Junction, VT 05001, 802-652-1900.

• Bureau tickets can be paid on the Judiciary's Public Portal by ticket number, name or license number. A card fee of 2.39% applies.
• The phone line takes cards Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Allow 3 to 5 business days to post.
• A check or money order can be mailed to the Vermont Judicial Bureau, PO Box 607, White River Junction, VT 05001. Never send cash.

The first hearing is the arraignment. With a citation, the date is printed right on the paper. If DOC lodged the person, they normally appear by the next business day, frequently on a video link from St. Johnsbury or South Burlington. What happens:

1. The State's Attorney files the charge, called an information, along with an officer's sworn statement of what happened.
2. The judge must find probable cause. That means the facts give good grounds to believe this person broke the law. Without it, the charge is dismissed.
3. Charges are read aloud, and rights are explained.
4. A public defender application can be handed in.
5. The judge sets conditions of release, or bail.
6. A plea follows, from guilty, no contest or not guilty, though Vermont lets the person wait up to 24 hours to decide.

A person with a lawyer may not need to come in. They can file the court's arraignment waiver and plea form, Form 357, instead.

There is no county jail here. The Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) keeps everyone held for court in its own facilities. Men from here mostly go to St. Johnsbury, and every woman goes to South Burlington. DOC may move people, so call the site or check the locator. The full list:

• Northeast Correctional Complex, 1266-1270 US Route 5, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819, 802-748-8151: the main pretrial stop for men from Orange, Caledonia, Washington and Lamoille counties. Its custody levels range from minimum up to close. A separate work camp building sits on the grounds.
• Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility, 7 Farrell Street, South Burlington, VT 05403, 802-863-7356: the women's facility for all of Vermont, for those awaiting trial and those sentenced
• Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility, 167 State Street, Rutland, VT 05701, 802-786-5830: men awaiting trial, mainly from Rutland, Addison and Bennington counties
• Northern State Correctional Facility, 2559 Glen Road, Newport, VT 05855, 802-334-3364: the largest site, holding pretrial men from Essex and Orleans counties and many sentenced men
• Northwest State Correctional Facility, 3649 Lower Newton Road, St. Albans, VT 05478, 802-524-6771: Franklin, Grand Isle and Chittenden men, people on federal holds, and Vermont's lead site for treating sex offenses
• Southern State Correctional Facility, 700 Charlestown Road, Springfield, VT 05156, 802-909-2601: pretrial men from Windsor and Windham counties and people who need the most medical or mental health care
• Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility, 19351 US Highway 49 North, Tutwiler, MS 38963: out-of-state beds for some sentenced men, never anyone awaiting trial; ask DOC Central Office at 802-241-2442

Roughly six weeks past arraignment, a misdemeanor comes back for a calendar call. At that check-in, both lawyers report whether the case is settling or headed to trial. A case still open after that heads toward jury selection.

• Top penalty. Two years is the ceiling for jail on a misdemeanor, and each crime's law sets its own fine.
• Diversion. A first or second misdemeanor may qualify for diversion, a community restorative justice option the Attorney General funds. The State's Attorney has the final say. The fee depends on income and is capped at $300. Records are cleared about two years after the person finishes.
• Deferred sentence. Once guilt is found, a judge may hold off on sentencing and use probation. If the person succeeds, the finding is wiped out and the record sealed once any restitution is paid (13 V.S.A. § 7041).

To ask whether diversion fits a case, call the State's Attorney at 802-685-3036.

Felonies get more time and more steps. Each one is scheduled on its own rather than in a group.

1. The State's Attorney brings the charges in a paper called an information, with the officer's sworn affidavit attached.
2. Arraignment in Chelsea, with conditions of release set.
3. Depositions, which are interviews of witnesses under oath before trial. Vermont allows them in felony cases.
4. Trial by jury. Conviction takes a unanimous vote from 12 jurors, with guilt shown beyond a reasonable doubt.
5. Sentencing, which may follow a presentence report and can include probation, fines or prison.

Every felony carries a possible term longer than two years. A first felony that involves no violence may still be sent to diversion if the prosecutor agrees.

A violent felony can mean no bail at all. The judge may deny it when the evidence is great and there is clear and convincing proof that no conditions can stop a real threat (13 V.S.A. § 7553a). A 60-day clock then starts for trial, and missing it forces a new bail hearing (13 V.S.A. § 7553b). A three-Justice panel of the Vermont Supreme Court reviews that kind of hold within seven business days.

• The Attorney General's Criminal Division prosecutes some major cases anywhere in Vermont, including killings, sex crimes and child abuse. It is at 109 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05609, 802-828-3171.
• Where money allows, 2026 Act 165 starts rapid accountability dockets for people with many repeat cases.
• Charges of the most serious kind keep an 18-year-old in adult court instead of the Family Division.

• Prosecutor: the Orange County State's Attorney, 30 Upper Village Road, Chelsea, VT 05038 (mail to PO Box 116), 802-685-3036. Victim advocates work in the same office.
• Public defender: defense here is handled by contract lawyers through the Orange County Public Defender, PO Box 273, Chelsea, VT 05038, 802-685-9944.
• Statewide defense office: the Office of the Defender General, 6 Baldwin Street, 4th Floor, Montpelier, VT 05633-3301, 802-828-3168.

The court's application form for a public defender is completed at arraignment. The clerk reviews it. There is a $50 fee unless the person can't pay, and higher earners pay a larger share. People under 18 never pay.

Three free tools from the Vermont Judiciary help:

• The Public Portal gives the public a partial view of cases and hearings, and it opens only for users in the U.S. or Canada.
• The court hearings search lets you narrow by date, county and division. Pick Orange and the criminal division. You can also type a docket number or a lawyer's name.
• Court calendars list what is set for each day.

Copies of records are ordered through the Judiciary's records request page. A case marked confidential won't show details. For help, call the Chelsea clerk at 802-685-4610.

A Criminal Division judge signs each arrest warrant. Here, the Sheriff's Department, town police and the Vermont State Police serve them. To ask about one, phone the Orange County Sheriff's Department at 11 VT Route 113, Chelsea, VT 05038, 802-685-4875, or the court clerk at 802-685-4610. Open cases and hearing dates also appear on the Judiciary's Public Portal. To clear a warrant, start by calling a lawyer. Your lawyer can plan a surrender, or the court that issued it can pick a new date. That court is the Orange Criminal Division, 5 Court Street, Chelsea, VT 05038.

A federal charge skips Chelsea. It goes to the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont, which has a clerk's office at 11 Elmwood Avenue, Room 200, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-951-6301, and one at 151 West Street, Room 204, Rutland, VT 05701, 802-773-0245.

1. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont brings the charge. It is at 11 Elmwood Avenue, 3rd Floor (mail to PO Box 570, Burlington, VT 05402-0570), 802-951-6725.
2. Release or custody gets settled at a detention hearing in Burlington or Rutland (18 U.S.C. 3142).
3. The U.S. Marshals Service, 11 Elmwood Avenue, Unit 601, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-951-6271, holds the person, at times in a DOC site and and at times outside Vermont, in a New Hampshire, New York or Rhode Island jail.
4. The Federal Public Defender, 95 Pine Street, Suite 150, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-862-6990, stands up for those who can't pay a private lawyer.
5. After a prison sentence, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator shows the person's site.

The state case keeps going in Chelsea, but an ICE detainer can change what happens when it ends:

1. ICE puts a detainer on file at DOC, using Form I-247A. ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
2. If the person would otherwise walk out, DOC may hold them up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. ICE then takes custody. In 2025, the median stay in DOC for ICE was six days.
4. Family can search the ICE Online Detainee Locator, or call the Boston Field Office, 1000 District Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803, 781-359-7500. The Vermont check-in office is 64 Gricebrook Road, St. Albans, VT 05478, 802-527-3801.

Under 20 V.S.A. § 2366, all Vermont police follow one statewide fair and impartial policing policy. No department may go further in helping immigration agents than that model permits.

At sentencing, Vermont law hands custody to the DOC Commissioner, not to a named prison (28 V.S.A. § 701). DOC reviews each person's security level and needs, then assigns a place. That may be one of the in-state facilities or, for some sentenced men, out-of-state beds in Mississippi.

• After any move, the DOC Offender Locator shows the new site.
• Read about each site on our Vermont state prisons page.
• DOC Central Office handles placement calls at 280 State Drive, NOB 2 South, Waterbury, VT 05671-2000, 802-241-2442.

Teens are heard in the Family Division, inside the Chelsea courthouse at 5 Court Street, Chelsea, VT 05038, 802-685-4610. Delinquency cases there start at age 12. Most 18-year-olds come here too, though the gravest charges stay in adult court, and 19-year-olds are set to follow on July 1, 2027.

• Within 24 hours of arrest, a youth aged 14 to 16 accused of a listed crime has to be seen and released (13 V.S.A. § 7554).
• Locked youth beds exist at one place statewide, the Red Clover Treatment Center, which has had just four beds since October 2024.
• Juvenile probation is DCF's job, run out of the Department for Children and Families' Family Services Division, 280 State Drive, Waterbury, VT 05671-1030, and its district offices.
• Public defenders never charge a fee to youths.

Vermont gives victims a say at several points. A victim may request word ahead of any release, bail included. At arraignment, the prosecutor tells the judge where the victim stands on bail. Victims may also speak at sentencing.

• Local help: the victim advocate in the State's Attorney's office, 30 Upper Village Road, Chelsea, VT 05038, 802-685-3036.
• Statewide help: the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services, 58 South Main Street, Suite 3, Waterbury, VT 05676, 802-241-1250, which runs victim compensation.
• Custody alerts: DOC Victim Services at 888-810-1847, or free VINE alerts at VINELink, 866-976-8267.

A newer law lets victims turn down DOC notices if they prefer not to get them.