FreeHer Vermont and The National Council Celebrate Major Victory: No New Women’s Prison in Essex
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 12, 2025
FreeHer Vermont and The National Council Celebrate Major Victory: No New Women’s Prison in Essex
Essex, VT — The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls and its Vermont chapter, FreeHer Vermont, are proud to celebrate a major victory for justice and community.
After years of grassroots organizing and public pressure, the Vermont Department of Corrections’ plan to rezone land in Essex to build a new $90 million women’s prison has been officially rejected. The Essex Planning Committee voted to deny the zoning amendment, effectively halting the proposed construction.
“This victory belongs to the people,” said Andrea James, Founder and Executive Director of The National Council. “It belongs to the organizers, the neighbors, the women, and the families who refused to let a new prison rise in their community. When people come together to demand transparency, accountability, and justice, we win. And this week, Vermont won.”
For years, FreeHer Vermont has been on the ground, canvassing, attending hearings, and keeping residents informed while the Department of Corrections attempted to push forward plans behind closed doors. Their work ensured that local voices, not bureaucratic interests, would shape their town's future.
“This decision gives Vermont a chance to choose a different path,” said Jayna Ahsaf, Director of FreeHer Vermont. “Instead of wasting $90 million on cages, Vermont can invest in what truly keeps people safe, housing, flood recovery, mental health care, and education. The future of Vermont depends on care, not confinement.”
The National Council and FreeHer Vermont are calling on state leaders to pass a moratorium on all new prison construction and redirect resources toward initiatives that strengthen communities and expand opportunity.
“Vermont can lead the nation by example,” James added. “We don’t need new prisons. We need new priorities, rooted in care, compassion, and community.”
About The National Council
The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls is a national organization working to end the incarceration of women and girls and to build alternatives led by directly affected people. Through advocacy, organizing, and research, The National Council uplifts the voices of women impacted by incarceration to drive systems change.
About FreeHer Vermont
FreeHer Vermont is a grassroots chapter of The National Council, organizing across Vermont to stop prison expansion and build community-based solutions to harm, addiction, and poverty.
This win is just the beginning.
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