AltWeeklies Wire
A Violent Sex Offender Is Released Into the Public Spotlightnew

One week after completing a 23-year prison sentence for a violent sexual assault, Richard Laws walked through downtown Burlington on a sun-drenched afternoon — a "free" man.
Seven Days |
Mark Davis |
04-23-2015 |
Crime & Justice
Convicted Sex Offender Made a New Life in VT With a Soldier's Stolen IDnew

For six years, David P. Oswald III allegedly pulled off a stunning fraud, living under an assumed identity in Vermont.
Seven Days |
Andy Bromage |
10-12-2012 |
Crime & Justice
Vermont's Colleges are Underreporting Sexual Assaultsnew

A review of statistics filed by Vermont’s institutions of higher learning in the past decade suggests that the number of sexual assaults they report to the government is far lower than the number that actually occur.
Seven Days |
Ken Picard |
04-02-2010 |
Crime & Justice
Did Vermont State Troopers Go Too Far When They Shot a Paranoid Schizophrenic?new
What really happened the night Joe Fortunati was killed in June 2006 may never be entirely clear. The only first-hand accounts come from the Vermont state police troopers at the scene, nine of whom are now defendants in a federal lawsuit accusing them of using excessive force and covering up key details of the case.
Seven Days |
Andy Bromage |
09-11-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Can Vermont Towns Tell Registered Sex Offenders Where to Live?new
Convicted sex offender Chris Hagan is suing the town of Barre over its ordinance prohibiting sex offenders from living within 1000 feet of schools and recreation facilities such as parks and playgrounds.
Seven Days |
Sally West Johnson |
06-19-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Is Vermont's Anti-Sex-Offender Hysteria Really Helping Kids?new
Pretty soon, no penalty of a sex offender is considered cruel and unusual enough. When the Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment for the rape of a child is unconstitutional, both presidential candidates expressed disappointment in the decision.
Seven Days |
Judith Levine |
08-15-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Vermont Bill to Help Children of Incarcerated Parents Moves Forwardnew
Vermont currently has no mandatory training or statewide protocols that address how police deal with children at the time of a parent's arrest. But a new bill, one of four such pieces of pending legislation, would mandate a study of prevailing practices around the state.
Seven Days |
Ken Picard |
04-14-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Brattleboro Stunned by Police Use of Tasers on Protestersnew
The heat is on the cops for allegedly using electronic stun guns repeatedly on the green-thumbed guerillas.
Seven Days |
Ken Picard |
08-03-2007 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: crime & justice
Sex Discrimination on a Small Town Police Force?new
A fired Brandon cop sues the town, claiming retaliation and sex discrimination.
Seven Days |
Ken Picard |
07-23-2007 |
Crime & Justice
Doing Wrightnew

Vermont journalist and activist Paul Wright gives convicts a voice through his national magazine, Prison Legal News.
Seven Days |
Ken Picard |
03-07-2007 |
Crime & Justice
An I For An Eyenew
Encouraging victims and offenders to talk about crime -- with each other.
Seven Days |
Cathy Resmer |
11-24-2006 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: crime & justice
Doing Justicenew
Bernard Bara's case could fill a textbook for a course called Kangaroo Court 101 -- but he is finally free.
Seven Days |
Judith Levine |
08-02-2006 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: crime & justice
Protest Leads to Prisonnew
Vermont peace activist Robin Lloyd was sentenced to jailtime for trespassing at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (formerly School of the Americas) in Fort Benning, Ga., during a protest.
Seven Days |
Cathy Resmer |
02-01-2006 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: crime & justice
Dying in Solitary in a New York Prisonnew
The medical staff at Upstate Correctional Facility in Malone, New York knew a 19-year-old inmate had a seizure disorder; their failure to treat him resulted in his death.
Seven Days |
Ken Picard |
01-27-2006 |
Crime & Justice