We deserve to walk down the street without fear of harassment or bodily harm. As a criminal justice expert and prison educator, Nikhil has dedicated his career to strengthening public safety and expanding educational and economic opportunities that address the root causes of crime. 

Nikhil taught sociology classes for incarcerated men at a medium-security prison in New York State through New York University’s Prison Education Program. He strongly supports and will work to expand the Vermont Corrections Post-Secondary Education Initiative, which provides tuition-free community college to incarcerated students and correctional staff in our state prisons and extends the benefit to children and spouses of correctional staff. College-in-prison is one of the most effective programs to reduce recidivism and provide people leaving from prison with the credentials and skills necessary to reintegrate, find a job, and desist from crime. 

A small minority of people are committing the vast majority of crimes, and many of them are experiencing homelessness, substance abuse, and mental illness. Our small businesses are reeling from exploding rates of retail theft and quality-of-life offenses. This cannot go on. 

Nikhil has a smart-on-crime plan to make our communities safer:

• The new Chittenden County Community Accountability Court designed to reduce the court backlog and deliver speedy justice is long overdue.

• Target interventions and resources at repeat offenders. Some chronic offenders who are repeatedly harming themselves or the safety of the public and refusing treatment, may need to be held in secure confinement. That should be the last resort, because incarceration is expensive and ineffective at deterring crime.  

• Expand our Raise the Age law to emerging young adults so more youth can get rehabilitative treatment, such as restorative justice, in the juvenile system. One study found that the juvenile system's recidivism rate was nearly half of that of the adult system. We must also finally provide the Department for Children and Families with adequate resources and staffing to carry out this important work. 

• Implement cognitive behavioral therapy, functional family therapy, and multisystemic therapy—all evidence-based treatment options found to significantly reduce crime and far cheaper than throwing a person in jail or prison. Expanding summer, afterschool, and jobs programs and keeping school buildings open for activities during the evening and weekend hours are also essential. 

• Establish an overdose prevention center. Once it is set up, people can consume illicit drugs safely under the supervision of trained medical staff. If they consume drugs anywhere else in public, they should face swift and sharp consequences. Our children deserve to play in City Hall Park without fear of getting pricked by a needle. 

• Expand treatment for substance use disorder, particularly long-term care. 

• Enact additional gun-safety measures, such as banning assault-style weapons as well as banning firearms in bars.