Vermont's highest court is the supreme court, which consists of a chief justice and four associate justices. Other courts include the superior, district, family, and environmental courts, with a total of 497 judges. All judges are appointed by the governor to six-year terms, subject to senate confirmation, from a list of qualified candidates prepared by the Judicial Nominating Board, which includes representatives of the governor, the legislature, and the Vermont bar. There are also 318 associate judges and 50 permissive associate judges.
In June 2001 there were 1,782 inmates in stage and federal correctional facilities, an increase of 7.7% over the previous year. The state's incarceration rate stood at 221 per 100,000 inhabitants.
According to the FBI Crime Index, Vermont had a 2001 total crime rate of 2,769.3 per 100,000 population, including a total of 644 violent crimes and 16,334 crimes against property in that year. There is no death penalty; the last execution in Vermont took place in 1954.