Gov. Phil Scott in Montpelier in June 2026. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger MONTPELIER — The Vermont Department for Children and Families says it does not plan to include 18-year-olds in its design for a locked juvenile facility, raising concern from lawmakers about how Gov. Phil Scott’ s administration is rolling out Vermont’s landmark juvenile justice reform initiative.  Officials with the Vermont Department for Children and Families said Wednesday that its new locked juvenile facility will only hold youths ages 12-17. Previous press statements from the department indicated that 18-year-olds would also be held at the facility.  The 14-bed program, dubbed the Green Mountain Youth Center, has been criticized by youth advocates who say it’s too large and is an unnecessarily expensive investment. The state wants to build the facility in South Burlington after failed attempts to build it elsewhere in the state. The new plan was explained Wednesday during a Joint Justice Oversight Committee meeting at the Statehouse, which convenes a group of mostly high-ranking lawmakers who focus on the criminal justice and child welfare systems. Eight years ago, Vermont passed a first-of-its-kind law that allowed some 18-year-olds accused of crimes to have their cases tried in family court. That pathway, rather than criminal court, allows cases to move forward outside of public view, though there are exceptions for youth accused of committing the state’s most serious crimes.  The initiative, called “Raise the Age,” was signed into law with support from Scott and was set to be implemented in stages, with older youth added to the family court system. But since 2022, lawmakers have continued to kick the can on its application to 19-year-olds. It’s most recently set to apply to the age group in July 2027.  This year, in the governor’s annual budget address, Scott publicly changed his tune. Scott said that the initiative was a “mistake” and urged lawmakers to go further and repeal its provisions for those of age 19.  As Scott has become increasingly skeptical of the law, legislators have accused him of refusing to enforce it. Now his administration is explicitly calling for the law to be repealed.  “The Agency of Human Services (AHS) no longer supports expanding (Raise the Age) to include nineteen-year-olds charged with delinquent acts,” said an annual report released by the agency in June.  The issue is coming to a head as the state plans to build a new locked facility for justice-involved youth.  Just this June, the Department for Children and Families said in a press release that the facility would house youths ages 12 through 18. Then on Wednesday, Sandi Hoffman, the department’s commissioner, said the facility would only hold juveniles who are 17 or younger.  The department denies, though, that it made any changes to its initial plan. “When DCF previously described the population as ages 12-18, the intent was to describe youth through their 18th birthday,” said Hannah Marble, a spokesperson for the department, via email.  The age distinction makes a critical difference because it means 18-year-olds would likely be held in a prison or facility out of state. Federal law does not prevent the state from holding 18 year olds among younger juveniles, including those in the Green Mountain Youth Center.  During the commissioner’s update, Rep. Alice Emmons, D-Springfield, who chairs the joint committee, asked if the facility could hold 18 and 19 year olds. “No. We’re not designing it for that,” Hoffman said.  If the Legislature does decide to “move forward” with Raise the Age, Hoffman said, the state can discuss its plan down the line. In any case, the department would have to make sure that any adults in the locked facility would be out of sight or earshot of youth under the age of 18.  Vermont’s Raise the Age law currently applies to 18-year-olds. And Rep. Martin LaLonde, D-South Burlington, pointed that out before making a distinction in response to Hoffman.  The Legislature doesn’t have to move forward on Raise the Age, he said; rather, it’s already on track for Raise the Age to be implemented.  Regarding Raise the Age, the Agency of Human Services wrote that some stakeholders “continue to express concern regarding the operational and systemic challenges associated with implementation (of the law).”  In a statement Wednesday, the department’s spokesperson said the age of youth the state plans to hold at the new facility is a separate consideration from Raise the Age.  “DCF does not believe that this decision should be interpreted as a position that Raise the Age should be repealed,” Marble said.  Vermont hasn’t had a long-term locked facility for juveniles since it shuttered the scandal-plagued Woodside Youth Rehabilitation Center in Essex, which closed in 2020 amid allegations of staff abuse. In 2023, the state agreed to pay $4.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought on behalf of seven youth over use of force at the facility. Read the story on VTDigger here: New details about proposed locked youth facility signals more disagreement over landmark ‘Raise the Age’ law. ...read more read less