Join for a screening of a local documentary, Beyond Bars, and round table discussion about incarceration, healthcare, and advocacy in professional spaces. Our discussion members will include medical students who have lead education programs in VT prisons, Beyond Bars documentarians, Center for Justice Research academics, and physicians who have worked with and around the VT carceral system.

Beyond Bars is a film that focuses on women in the Vermont prison system. The film explores social issues Vermont faces today such as homelessness, substance abuse and the carceral system. It questions our view of crime and who we define as a criminal. The film also explores how the justice system deals with crime, suggesting that we’ve been using the “band-aid” method of solving problems rather than addressing the root causes.  

The filmmakers, four Vermonters, went around the state for a year, interviewing people at the forefront of these issues. They visited non-profit organizations, homelessness support groups and cooks and specialists, asking them to share their perspectives and experiences. The film revealed a growing number of people who struggle to support themselves financially in Vermont, with few government resources to help them with basic needs such as food and shelter. 

Most of the women incarcerated at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility (CRCF), the state's only women’s prison, located in South Burlington, VT, are either victims of abuse, mental health issues, drug addiction or homelessness. CRCF usually houses no more than 200 women at once. 

As the filmmakers were gathering content, the Vermont’s Department of Corrections proposed a plan to build a new correctional facility. The starting cost of this project is about $90 million. The film addresses this, questioning whether or not the government is allocating its funds appropriately. After all, the film sheds light on the lack of government support. Without government aid, homelessness, mental health issues and drug addictions become root causes of many acts of crime, and the carceral system is not empathetic towards these root causes. Through this, the film raises important questions: Will a new building solve the larger problems Vermont faces? Or is it just another band-aid? 

The final section of the film is a synthesis of four interviews with women currently living at the CRCF. They share the experiences that have led them to be incarcerated and their plans for the future, expressing fear and anxiety about going back into a world lacking support systems. But their words also radiate hope and readiness to become a part of society once again. 

One of the women talks about her plans of owning a food truck after her release. She plans to employ younger kids in order to teach them work ethic at an early age. She imagines the truck to be purple with a big sign saying “katastrophe,” along with music and outdoor seating. 

As the film comes to an end on this hopeful note, it reserves space for questioning systemic inefficacies. How must we as individuals and as a society change the way we think about people who struggle? How can we navigate and negotiate accountability, punishment, treatment and healing? The answers to these questions are yet to be found.

Join us for an opportunity to learn about the carceral system in Vermont and engage in conversations about the future of this system. We will have opportunities to talk with people actively involved and experienced in this community. Our conversation will focus around the intersection of advocacy, medicine, and the carceral system. Come prepared to think about the questions of this space and imagine a future where the carceral system leaves people better than they entered.