BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – With the expected furlough in the coming days of Harley Breer, one of Vermont’s most notorious career criminals, reporter Cam Smith spoke with a forensic psychologist to find out what kind of risk he poses.
“He has a pattern of getting in his own way,” said Tom Powell, who has worked directly with Harley Breer in the past, evaluating him throughout his many run-ins with the law.
Vermont Corrections officials announced Wednesday that the 55-year-old habitual offender was set to be released from prison as soon as next week after completing his most recent sentence. Word of his pending release into the tiny town of Canaan has sparked fear and anger. Breer’s rap sheet dates back to the late 1980s for crimes including kidnapping, rape, and assault.
Breers’s offenses often involved violence against women he had relationships with, factors that Powell says make it unlikely he would target random people. “I think his pattern as is true of many folks in his situation — is much more localized — in terms of having people he knows, particularly women he knows and with whom he’s having a relationship be the ones who would be more likely to be in danger,” he said.
Powell says in many cases, perpetrators of interpersonal violence often feel abandoned or betrayed. He says inmates often have a history of trauma and abuse which is often a quick trigger for violence. “It is the case that many offenders have trauma histories that essentially get them into trouble by virtue of reliving the expectations that whatever happened in the past is going to happen again,” he said.
Breer has been in and out of prison for years, most recently for crimes that are considered status offenses like violating conditions of release or probation. DOC officials have said his risk to re-offend is high. Powell says that his structure outside of jail needs to be considered. “If you don’t have that, it just opens up a whole Pandora’s box of opportunity for trouble. It’s challenging to take a lifetime of behavior and completely redirect how you are conducting yourself in a whole new direction,” he said.
Breer’s maximum release date is October 2030. Authorities say his furlough date is currently on hold while they conduct a comprehensive review. Department of Corrections Commissioner Nick Deml declined to comment Thursday about their plans.