PRS Students Present their Findings before the Women's Legislative Caucus in the Vermont House of Representatives

On Friday, March 11, 2022, four Dartmouth students from the Class of 1964 Policy Research Shop of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center—Kiera Bernet '23, Anthony Fosu '24, Meghana Kopparthi '24, and Blake McGill '22—presented their policy brief, "Impacts of Parental Incarceration on Vermont Children," to the Women's Legislative Caucus of the Vermont House of Representatives.  Back in the fall term, the PRS was contacted by Rep. Sara Coffey, co-chair of the Caucus and original sponsor of H. 399, a bill that mandates that "Family Impact Statements" be considered in Vermont courts prior to sentencing defendants with "caregiving" responsibilities.  Based on Rep. Coffey's request for research, the students analyzed multiple states with sentencing guidelines similar to Vermont and assessed the states that have already enacted legislation that adds Family Impact Statements to judicial proceedings.  After their presentation, the students fielded questions from legislators as well as from several of the stakeholders attentive to health and well-being of children across the state.