There are two directions a death or a serious illness can travel through a prison wall, and a family usually only thinks about it when it is already happening.
One direction is from the outside in. Someone in the family is dying or has died, and you need the prison to tell your incarcerated person, and you are wondering whether they can be there for it. The other direction is from the inside out. Your person is the one who is sick, or who has died in custody, and you are trying to find out what happened and what you are allowed to do. This article walks both directions for Vermont, run by the Vermont Department of Corrections.
I am going to tell you something up front, because I learned it the hard way and I do not want it to land on you cold. An approval that has been granted is not the same as your person being there. Those are two different things, and the gap between them is where families get hurt.
When the Death or Illness Is on the Outside
If someone in the family is gravely ill or has died and you want your incarcerated person notified, the starting point is the unit officer. Vermont facilities instruct incarcerated people to tell the unit officer immediately when there is a family emergency, such as a death, accident, or serious illness, and to get as much information as possible from the family first. The unit officer will contact a caseworker, a casework supervisor, or a shift supervisor. The facility will need to know the family member's name and relationship to your person, the name and location of the funeral home or hospital, the dates and times of services, and for an illness or accident, how serious it is.
So before you call the facility: gather that information. It makes the process move faster. Then ask the unit officer or caseworker directly about next steps, including whether a call or a trip is possible.
Attending a Funeral or a Bedside Visit in Vermont
Vermont handles emergency leaves on a discretionary, case-by-case basis under the Department's administrative directives. There is no statewide statute guaranteeing funeral attendance, and approval depends on custody level, security, the verified relationship, and the circumstances.
If a trip is considered, expect it to be escorted, with Department staff present and custody maintained throughout. Families are generally responsible for escort-related costs. Confirm the process and any costs with the caseworker or shift supervisor when you report the emergency.
Ask about the alternatives in the same breath. When an in-person trip is denied or not feasible, ask the caseworker or chaplain about a phone call and whether a video option for a funeral or bedside farewell can be arranged. These alternatives exist and are worth pursuing in the same conversation.
Now the part I promised you.
I was told I had a five-hour furlough to attend my mother's funeral. I was told to get dressed and wait for the escort. I got dressed. I waited. The escort never came. Word going around was that the warden had been moved or was on leave, and the assistant warden denied it. Nobody walked up to me with a form. The day just passed. What I got, in the end, was a free phone call.
I tell you that not to make you bitter before you start, but to make you smart. An approval that exists on paper is not a person standing at a graveside. Administrators change. Acting wardens reverse decisions. Escort details fall through. If you are pinning the family's grief on the hope that they will physically be there, you are building on sand. Plan the service around the family that can be there. If your person makes it, that is a mercy. If they do not, you were not depending on it, and the grief is heavy enough without that.
When the Illness or Death Is on the Inside
The other direction is harder, because you have less control and the information comes slower.
If your person is seriously ill in custody. Push for medical information, knowing that medical privacy rules limit what staff will share unless the incarcerated person has authorized release of information to you. Encourage your person, while able, to sign a release naming you. If the condition is terminal or grave, learn about Vermont's two medical release routes now, not later.
Vermont medical parole. Vermont has a medical parole statute providing for early release in cases of serious medical conditions, including terminal illness, under 28 V.S.A. The parole board considers whether the person's medical condition is genuine, whether they pose a risk, and whether a safe, appropriate placement is available in the community. Terminally ill individuals are not required to have limitations on activities of daily living to meet the medical eligibility criteria, though the Department may consider any limitations when evaluating their ability to reoffend.
Vermont medical furlough. Separately, Vermont has a medical furlough process for people with qualifying serious medical conditions, also under state statute. A person on medical furlough is still considered to be in the Department's custody, so it is a form of temporary supervised release rather than parole, and the statute specifically notes that a qualifying serious medical condition does not include conditions caused by noncompliance with a medical treatment plan.
What families can do here. On both routes, the Department evaluates and refers. Push the medical staff to document the diagnosis and prognosis, ask in writing that your person be evaluated for both medical parole and medical furlough, and help line up a placement in the community where care can be provided. Document everything and consider an attorney or advocates familiar with Vermont's system. Start early, because the steps take time and a terminal illness does not wait.
If your person dies in custody. The Department attempts to notify the family using the emergency contact your person has on record, which is exactly why that contact must be correct now. Make sure the listed person is reachable and will tell the rest of the family.
The medical examiner, and the autopsy. Vermont has a statewide medical examiner system, led by the Chief Medical Examiner, housed at the Vermont Department of Health and located at the University of Vermont Medical Center. By state law, a death occurring in jail or prison is one of the deaths that requires immediate investigation, with the medical examiner and a designated law enforcement officer making a proper preliminary investigation together. The State's Attorney or the Chief Medical Examiner may order an autopsy, and when one is performed, the Chief Medical Examiner submits a report to the State's Attorney and the Attorney General. Vermont's statute also specifies that when a person committed to the DOC or under DOC supervision dies, the Commissioner of Corrections may request copies of any reports generated.
Getting answers, and claiming the body. The Chief Medical Examiner's records are confidential and released only to the legal next of kin or personal representative, with written consent required. If you are the legal next of kin and want information, contact the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in writing. Autopsy final reports can take weeks to months to complete, but toxicology testing will not delay the release of the body to the next of kin. The body is released to the next of kin, generally through a funeral home, once the medical examiner's work allows, and Vermont law defines the order of next of kin. Be clear about who the legal next of kin is, since disputes between family members slow everything down. The death certificate is available through Vermont vital records. If the family cannot afford a funeral, ask the funeral home and the Department of Health about assistance.
What Families Can Do Before a Crisis
Most of the pain in these situations comes from decisions that were never made in calm times. A few things you can do now, while no one is dying:
Make sure your person has the correct emergency contact and next of kin recorded with the Department, and keep it current. This determines who the prison calls.
Have your person sign a release of information naming the family members who should be allowed to speak with medical staff. Without it, privacy rules will keep you in the dark.
Know Vermont's process: when there is a family emergency, your person should tell the unit officer immediately, ask for a caseworker to be contacted, and have the details ready about the family member's name, relationship, the funeral home or hospital, and the timing.
If your person is terminally ill or seriously ill, do not wait. Ask in writing that your person be evaluated for both medical parole and medical furlough, get the diagnosis and prognosis documented by medical staff, and help identify a community placement where care can be provided.
Keep the funeral home's contact information ready, both to provide to the facility so your person can be notified, and to claim your person if they die inside.
State Resources
Vermont Department of Corrections: contact the institution and caseworker directly; use the VDC website and the Constituent Services Unit for information; the unit officer is the first contact for family emergencies.
Vermont Parole Board: for medical parole of a terminally ill or seriously ill incarcerated person.
Vermont Department of Corrections, Medical/Health Division: for medical furlough evaluation and referral.
Vermont Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (at UVM Medical Center): for the cause and manner of death, the autopsy report available to next of kin, and death investigation records.
Vermont Department of Health, Vital Records: for certified copies of the death certificate.
Vermont 211: dial 2-1-1 for grief support, funeral assistance resources, and counseling referrals.
Frequently asked questions
How do I notify a Vermont prison of a death?
Vermont facilities instruct incarcerated people to tell the unit officer immediately when there is a family emergency such as a death or serious illness. Gather the information first: the family member's name and relationship, the funeral home or hospital name and location, dates and times of services, and the seriousness of the illness if applicable. Then your person tells the unit officer and asks for a caseworker to be contacted, weekdays during business hours, or the shift supervisor at other times. Staff will verify the emergency and notify your incarcerated person. You can also call the facility and ask for the caseworker or chaplain directly.
Can a Vermont inmate attend a funeral?
Sometimes, on a discretionary basis. Vermont handles emergency leaves case by case under Department administrative directives, with custody level, security, the verified relationship, and the circumstances all weighed by the facility. If a trip is approved, it will generally be escorted with staff present and custody maintained, and families are typically responsible for escort-related costs. There is no statewide statute guaranteeing attendance. Ask the caseworker or casework supervisor about the process, and ask in the same conversation about a phone call or video option as a fallback.
Will the prison tell my relative about a family death?
Yes. Vermont facilities have a specific process: your person tells the unit officer, who contacts a caseworker or shift supervisor. You should call the facility and ask for the caseworker or chaplain directly as well. Have the family member's name and relationship, the funeral home or hospital, dates and times, and the seriousness of the situation ready when you call. Notification is separate from whether a trip is approved, which is a discretionary decision made by the facility.
How is family told if an inmate dies in Vermont?
The Department attempts to notify the family using the emergency contact in your person's record, which is why that record must be correct now. Make sure the listed person is reachable and will inform the rest of the family. Separately, because a death in jail or prison requires an immediate joint investigation by the medical examiner and a law enforcement officer under Vermont law, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will be involved and can be contacted by the legal next of kin for information and reports.
What is medical parole in Vermont?
It is Vermont's route for early release of seriously or terminally ill incarcerated people, decided by the Vermont Parole Board under state statute. The Board considers whether the medical condition is genuine, whether the person poses a public safety risk, and whether a suitable placement is available in the community. Terminally ill individuals are not required to show limitations on daily activities to qualify medically, though the Department may factor in any limitations when evaluating the risk of reoffending. Ask in writing that your person be evaluated and referred.
What is a medical furlough in Vermont?
It is a separate, temporary supervised release for people with qualifying serious medical conditions, also under Vermont statute. A person on medical furlough is still considered to be in the Department's custody, so it is not the same as parole, and it is specifically limited to people with genuine medical conditions -- Vermont's statute states that a qualifying serious condition does not include conditions caused by noncompliance with a treatment plan. It can be a bridge while a longer-term medical parole is evaluated. Ask the prison medical staff about both routes.
Who can request medical release in Vermont?
The Department evaluates and refers for both medical parole and medical furlough. Push the prison's medical staff to document the diagnosis, prognosis, and required level of care, and ask in writing that your person be considered for both routes. Provide information about where your person would live and receive care in the community, since a workable placement matters. Consider getting an attorney or an advocate familiar with Vermont's medical release process, and start early since the timeline is not short.
Who can claim the body after an inmate dies in Vermont?
The legal next of kin or personal representative, generally through a funeral home, once the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner's work allows. Vermont defines the order of next of kin by law, so be clear about who that is, since disputes cause delay. The body is released once the ME's investigation is complete, and toxicology testing, which may take additional weeks, does not delay the body's release. To get autopsy reports and records, contact the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in writing, since records are confidential and released only to the legal next of kin with written consent.
Is there an autopsy when an inmate dies in Vermont?
Often. A death in jail or prison triggers a mandatory joint investigation by the medical examiner and a designated law enforcement officer under Vermont law. The State's Attorney or the Chief Medical Examiner may order an autopsy, and one is commonly performed in custody deaths. The Chief Medical Examiner's office is at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Final autopsy reports can take weeks to months to prepare, but toxicology testing will not delay the release of the body to the family. Contact the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to request records once the investigation is complete.
What can I do before a serious illness becomes a crisis?
Make sure your person has the correct emergency contact and next of kin on file and keep it current. Have your person sign a release of information naming family who can speak with medical staff. Learn Vermont's notification process: your person tells the unit officer, who contacts a caseworker, and you should call the caseworker or chaplain directly as well. If your person is terminally ill or seriously ill, ask in writing for evaluations for both medical parole and medical furlough, get the diagnosis and prognosis documented, and identify a community placement. ---
Discovery Offer - Silos 1-2
Search arrest records and find out where they are
If you're trying to locate someone who was arrested or find out where they are being held, TruthFinder searches arrest records, court records, and custody status across all 50 states.