SUMMER AT LEUNIG’S
Got A tIP for PAul? paul@sevendaysvt.com
— the program is apparently antiquated and confusing. Kainen explained that his wayward email had been intended for his old boss, Orange County State’s Attorney Will Porter. Kainen said he, too, struggled to figure out the system for months after Porter hired him as a deputy. Porter got so fed up with Kainen’s constant questions, he wrote up instructions for him to follow. Campbell is now having the same trouble, which is providing him firsthand experience with another important Statehouse issue: the state government’s poorly functioning IT programs.
Media Notes
politics
C H U R C H & C O L L E G E • B U R L I N G T O N • 8 6 3 - 3 7 5 9 • W W W. L E U N I G S B I S T R O . C O M 8h-leunigs073014.indd 1
7/28/14 2:11 PM
SPECIALIZING IN NON-PROFIT, CAMPAIGN & FUNDRAISING PRINTING.
10% OFF
IF YOU MENTION THE OFFER CODE 7DAYS
PALM CARDS • POSTCARDS • DOOR HANGERS DONATION ENVELOPES • STICKERS • BUTTONS AND MORE... (802) 899-2708 • WWW.FIRSTSTEPPRINTSHOP.COM MARY@FIRSTSTEPPRINTSHOP.COM 22 PARK STREET, UNDERHILL, VT 05489
8h-firstsetpprintshop080614.indd 1
8/4/14 4:05 PM
08.13.14-08.20.14 SEVEN DAYS
Last month, this paper examined problems with Vermont’s Sex Offender Registry: Auditors found significant errors with the website, which identified people who legally should not have been listed, and failed to include some eligible offenders. None of that has dissuaded the Brattleboro Reformer from adopting an unusual practice: publishing notices when a sex offender moves to the community. The Reformer had signed up for electronic alerts from the Department of Public Safety, editor toM D’erriCo explained, which indicate when a sex offender is released nearby. Any member of the public can do so. So after a lengthy internal discussion, the Reformer decided to start publishing them. D’Errico is not aware of any other publication in Vermont that is doing the same. “It’s a matter of public record and important information that the reader wants and needs to be made aware of,” D’Errico said. He added that the Reformer, which has posted at least three notices so far, is not looking to cause sex offenders “undue hardship,” and is not publishing their mug shots. Auditors recently unearthed a few incidents in which an offender was identified on the site when, legally, they should not have been. (Offenders who commit less serious sex crimes, or who were younger than 18, are legally exempt from posting.) That’s happened at least once in the Reformer’s backyard: A man convicted in a Windham County sex case successfully sued the state after the registry mistakenly posted his name. After he was publicly identified, the man received threatening phone calls and someone smashed a beer bottle over his head. Moreover, critics of the registry, including defense attorneys and privacy advocates, aren’t even convinced it improves public safety. Studies have persistently shown that a majority of sex crimes are committed not by strangers, but by people whom the victim already knows. Some are concerned that the registry provides a false sense of security and makes it harder for sex offenders to build stable lives that make them less likely to re-offend. m
DEPENDABLY DELICIOUS DINING SINCE 1980, WITH THE PANACHE OF PARIS AND THE VALUE OF VERMONT, RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF TOWN
SEVENDAYSVt.com FAIR GAME 13
somebody who has experience in court,” Kainen said. “I needed somebody I could hand files to.” Campbell will take over a chunk of Kainen’s family court work and may handle the occasional criminal charge, his new boss said. Kainen clarified that he is giving Campbell cases that are likely to conclude by the time lawmakers return to the Statehouse in January, though he expects Campbell will continue to handle some legal work during the session. The news revives perpetual questions about the conflicts of interest that face lawmakers who take jobs closely related to their legislative work. For example, are judges, whose budgets are controlled by the legislature, going to treat Campbell the same as defense attorneys and other prosecutors? What about the Department for Children and Families, which has been widely criticized for its role in the recent deaths of two young children? Lawmakers are expected to consider overhauling it this session. How will Campbell’s frequent interactions with DCF as a family-court prosecutor impact that debate? In interviews last week, Campbell said he saw no conflict and believed his new job would enhance his understanding of important Statehouse issues. “In three weeks, what I have observed is how little we in the legislature know about the criminal system,” Campbell told VTDigger. He did not respond to messages from Seven Days seeking further comment. Vermont Defender General Matt Valerio said he has no qualms with Campbell working as a prosecutor and has not heard any concerns from defense attorneys. “It really doesn’t bother me at all,” Valerio said. Vermont Public Interest Research Group Executive Director Paul Burns agreed with Valerio. But Cyrus Patten, executive director of Campaign for Vermont, an advocacy group that has made legislative transparency a focal point, had a different view. “It is suspect any time a legislator has a role in creating a job and they themselves fill the job,” Patten said. Regardless of any potential conflicts, Campbell is apparently having some newguy problems in the office. After Seven Days inquired about the impending hire last month, Kainen accidentally shot back an email: “My new deputy is struggling mightily with crimes,” Kainen wrote to the unidentified recipient. “Have you checked to see if you stored that instruction thing electronically?” The president of the Senate, newly hired by his buddy to prosecute crimes on the state’s dime, was struggling with crimes? He needed an instruction manual for the job? Alas, the news gods were not so benevolent. CRIMES is the software program used by prosecutors to generate court paperwork against defendants. And — brace yourself
Paul Heintz was on vacation last week. Contact: alicia@sevendaysvt.com and mark@sevendaysvt.com 4t-smalldog081314.indd 1
8/11/14 6:22 PM