Vermont Criminal Records

Vermont Criminal Records are government documents that detail a person's encounters with enforcement agencies. Criminal records in Vermont cover a subject's offenses and any prosecutions, charges, and punishments.

In Vermont, criminal records are available to anyone who asks for them. The public can view these data through the Vermont Crime Information Center (VCIC) of the Department of Public Safety, which keeps most of the state's criminal records.

Vermont Criminal Records will provide the following information to the public:

• Subject's personal information (name, date of birth, nationality, and gender)
• Any aliases
• Fingerprints
• Mugshot
• Identifying features
• Driver's license number
• Current and previous addresses
• Details on criminal offenses and indictments
• History of arrests
• Non-confidential conviction data
• Current and previous warrants

If you commit an offense in Vermont, the following serious crimes are likely to appear on your criminal record.

Felonies

Unlike other states, Vermont does not use a classification system to categorize felony records. Instead, it established the maximum or sometimes minimum sentences for felony records based on the type of crime, with harsher penalties for more severe offenses.

In Vermont, some examples of felony records and sentencing periods are as follows:

Murder in the First Degree

Those who commit this act risk life in jail without the possibility of parole.

Burglary of an Occupied Home

If you commit this offense, you will face a 25-year prison sentence.

Aggravated Assault

For this kind of felony, you could go to prison for up to 15 years.

Arson in the First Degree

Those who commit this will face 2 to 10 years in prison.

Grand theft

If you commit this kind of felony, you could go to jail for up to 10 years.

Aggravated Stalking

If you commit aggravated stalking, you could go to prison for up to five years.

In Vermont, a felony record stays with you for life unless sealed or expunged. However, only about a dozen felonies are eligible for expungement in this state.

Also, to be eligible for expungement or sealing in Vermont, you must usually wait at least five years and have no new convictions or charges. Any new offenses will make the time you have to wait longer.

Misdemeanor

Unlike many other states, Vermont does not use a number-based system to classify misdemeanor records. The state instead looks at each crime individually and sets the punishment for each misdemeanor record.

The following are the most prevalent misdemeanor records in Vermont, along with their penalties:

Stalking

If you do this misdemeanor, you could go to jail for up to two years and have to pay a $5,000 fine.

Petit Larceny

Those who commit this offense will have to pay a $1,000 fine and spend one year in prison.

Simple Assault

If you do this misdemeanor, you will have to pay a $1,000 fine and go to prison for a year.

Domestic Assault

Domestic assault is a crime that can get you 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Shoplifting

Those who commit this offense will face a six-month prison sentence and a $500 fine.

Disorderly Behavior

For a first-time offense of this crime, you will get a $500 fine and 60 days in jail. A second offense will consequence in a 120-day prison sentence and a $1,000 fine.

Trespassing on Posted Property

For this misdemeanor, the penalty is a $50 fine and ten days in jail.

How long does a misdemeanor show up on your record? In Vermont, a misdemeanor will stay on your record forever unless expunged or sealed.

Most misdemeanor offenses in Vermont are eligible for expungement or sealing if you stay crime-free for two years after serving your sentence. But if you are guilty of a subsequent crime, your waiting period can go up to ten years.

Criminal Driving Violations

Vermont has two types of criminal driving records: traffic felonies and misdemeanors. Whether a criminal driving violation record is a traffic felony or a traffic misdemeanor varies based on the type of the crime and the exact circumstances of the offense.

Felony Traffic Violations

In Vermont, a traffic violation is a felony if it causes severe bodily harm or death to someone else. Those who commit this criminal driving violation will face a $25,000 fine and 15 years in prison.

The following are typical types of felony traffic in Vermont:

• Driving under the influence (DUI)
• Vehicular homicide
• Driving with a revoked or suspended license causes death or serious bodily harm

Traffic Misdemeanors

In Vermont, a traffic misdemeanor is a crime that can get you a year in jail and $1,000 fines. Misdemeanor traffic offenses in Vermont include, but aren't limited to:

• Driving without car insurance
• DUI
• Speeding in a school zone
• Reckless driving
• Failure to give way
• Leaving a scene of an accident

Most criminal driving violation records will stay on a person's criminal history for at least three years in Vermont. However, serious crimes, like DUI, can remain on a criminal record for up to 10 years.

There are a few options for offenders to remove criminal driving violations from their records sooner, but it is challenging. You can appeal to the court to seal or expunge the record to get a criminal driving violation off your criminal history. In Vermont, however, only some offenses are eligible for sealing or expungement.

Sexual Offenses

Vermont has a wide range of sexual offense records. In this state, laws about sexual assault and lewd and lascivious conduct penalized these crimes based on the ages of the offender and victim.

Some of the most prevalent sexual offense records in Vermont are as follows:

Aggravated Sexual Assault

This sexual crime can get you ten years to life imprisonment, a fine of $50,000, or both. It occurs when an 18-year-old defendant engages in sexual activity with a child under 13.

Sexual Assault

For this sex offense, the punishments are either 20 years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both. It occurs when a defendant of any age engages in sexual activity with a child under 16

Lewd or Lustful Behavior Toward a Minor

For a first-time offense of this sexual offense, the convicted person will spend a $5,000 fine, 2 to 15 years in prison, or both. More severe penalties and prison terms apply for a second violation. This sexual crime happens when a person of any age does something sexual with a child under 16 to make them feel sexually excited or satisfied.

Anyone convicted of a sexual offense in Vermont must register as a sex offender in the state. According to Vermont Statutes, a sex offender in this state has two registration periods: 10 years following release from supervision or forever, depending on the criminal history record of the sexual offender.

Suppose you want to learn more about the registered sex offenders in Vermont. In that case, you may visit the Vermont Sex Offender Registry, which contains information about statewide registered sex offenders, including personal information and criminal history.

As in most states, Vermont allows expungement or sealing for many convictions.

An expungement order in this state destroys all arrest, charge, and conviction records in criminal databases, and neither the public nor enforcement agencies can access expunged records.

A sealing order, on the other hand, is similar to an expungement order in most cases. However, courts and law enforcement can still access sealed records in future cases to do a background check.

Vermont has several separate sealing and expungement statutes with slightly differing standards. However, suppose you have committed a crime in the state and seek to expunge or seal your record. In that case, the following are the expungement and sealing procedures and the crimes that are eligible for expungement or sealing in Vermont.

Expungement or Sealing Process in Vermont

Here are the typical procedures for expunging or sealing a criminal record in Vermont:

• Demand a copy of your criminal record from the court.
• Pay court-ordered restitution, fines, and fees.
• Fill out an Expungement or Sealing Petition form.
• Then, file it to the court clerk along with other required documents. After filing, the respondent will get a copy of your petition from the clerk.

The prosecutors have the right to answer your petition. You can expunge or seal your record without a hearing if they agree. If they are against your request, the court will set a date for a hearing. You must attend case hearings because your absence could result in the denied petition.

If the court concedes your petition, they will provide a certificate you can use to prove the offense has been sealed or expunged. However, if the court denies your petition for expungement, you cannot appeal for two years unless the court authorizes a shorter period.

Eligible Crimes for Expungement or Sealing in Vermont

In Vermont, the following felony records qualify for expungement or sealing:

• Burglary
• Grand Larceny
• Unlawful Mischief
• 18VSA 4223 violation involving fraud or deception

Other than these felony records, all misdemeanor records in Vermont are eligible for expungement or sealing except:

• Predicate Offense
• Stalking
• Violent, unlawful, neglectful, sexual, or financial abuse of a vulnerable adult
• Domestic Assault
• Abuse Prevention Order Violation
• Prostitution
• Reckless Endangerment
• Prohibited Conduct

Inmate records in Vermont are official papers relating to state inmates and their correctional facilities. These records detail inmates' information and their biological and crime-related data.

The Vermont Department of Corrections (VDOC) keeps most of the records on inmates in this state. VDOC provides an inmate finder with general and inmate-specific information to access these records. This tool can also provide information regarding released inmates in the state.

You can contact the inmate's correctional facility if you cannot locate the information you require in the online database.

In Vermont, inmate records contain the following information:

• Inmate's personal information (name, birth date, gender)
• Any aliases
• Booking photo
• Fingerprints
• DOC ID
• Height and weight
• Placed in charge
• Sentence summary

Arrest records in Vermont include information about a person's apprehension and imprisonment after alleged criminal action. These records show if the suspect has gone through interrogation by law enforcement or military authorities.

In Vermont, arrest warrants authorize the arrest and custody of suspects. This document may also search or seize private property. If a person has an arrest warrant in this state, they could run into the police and spend the night in jail.

Following an arrest, police take offenders to the station or jail for the booking process. During booking, a police officer records the suspect's personal information and non-case-related details. The police will also take a photo of the person and get their fingerprints. A nurse or other medical professional may also check them out.

The VCIC also compiles and assesses arrest data supplied by Vermont law enforcement agencies.

To get an arrest record, interested parties may contact or visit the arresting authority. The local law enforcement agency will usually request details about the record; thus, it is vital to know the offender's basic information.

Vermont Arrest Records include the following information:

• Arrestee's personal information (name, date of birth, gender, and nationality)
• Any aliases
• Case status
• The arrest location and date
• The name of the arresting officer
• The detention facility's address

People get criminal records for several different reasons. In Vermont, employers who do background checks on potential employees are most likely to examine criminal records.

Through the Vermont Criminal Conviction Record Internet Service (VCCRIS), an online search platform run by VCIC, people in this state can look up criminal records and get the results immediately. To get relevant data from this platform, the person asking for it must know the person's name and date of birth in the record. Getting access to these records costs $30 per request.

Unlike local police departments, which may only have criminal records for the area they cover, the VCIC search platform gives results for the whole state.