2005 Vermont Code - § 5501. — Purposes

§ 5501. Purposes

(a) The purposes of this chapter are:

(1) to provide for the care, protection and wholesome moral, mental and physical development of children coming within the provisions of this chapter;

(2) to remove from children committing delinquent acts the taint of criminality and the consequences of criminal behavior and to provide a program of treatment, training, and rehabilitation consistent with the protection of the public interest;

(3) to achieve the foregoing purposes, whenever possible, in a family environment, separating the child from his parents only when necessary for his welfare or in the interests of public safety; and

(4) to assure that the safety and permanency of children is the paramount concern in the administration and conduct of proceedings under this chapter;

(5) to provide judicial proceedings through which the provisions of this chapter are executed and enforced and in which the parties are assured a fair hearing and their constitutional and other legal rights recognized and enforced.

This chapter shall be construed to effectuate these purposes.

(b) The provisions of this chapter shall be construed as superseding the provisions of the criminal law of this state to the extent the same are inconsistent herewith. (1967, No. 304 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1997, No. 139 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)