Vermont House weighs bills on care and oversight for defendants found incompetent, after a Bennington killing
Testimony centered on the case of Darren Pronto, charged with first-degree murder in the 2021 stabbing of Emily Hamann in Bennington. He had earlier been found incompetent, hospitalized involuntarily and then released for outpatient treatment before returning to custody. S.91 would clarify that a mental health commitment does not change the release conditions or bail set by a criminal court, and would require the mental health and aging departments to report to the Legislature by mid-November on whether a formal competency restoration program should be developed.
A deputy state's attorney told the committee Vermont lacks any public-safety-centered process for defendants who cannot be tried but may be dangerous. S.89 would create a residential forensic facility in part of the building that houses the Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital in Berlin. A two-year study committee had failed to agree and delivered dueling recommendations in January.
The debate centers on where such defendants should be treated and who is responsible for public safety.
Source: Legislature grapples with competency process in violent crimes — VTDigger, by Kristen Fountain
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