An alleged attack caught on camera at Burlington’s downtown bus terminal continues fueling a larger conversation surrounding mental health, public safety, and repeat interactions with the criminal justice system.Surveillance video provided by Green Mountain Transit shows the moment police said a Middlebury College student was attacked by 30-year-old Refga Laku at the Cherry Street bus terminal on April 30.Related: See surveillance video of the attackThe video quickly spread online, prompting concerns from community members about public safety and questions about how people with serious mental health challenges continue cycling through the court system and back into the community.Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George says many people see violent incidents and assume incarceration is a straightforward solution, but she says cases involving severe mental illness are far more complicated.”I think everybody sees something on the news or they see a violent incident on surveillance, and they have this assumption that that is an easy path to incarceration,” George said. “And it’s very much not.”Court documents connected to the case reference Laku’s history of mental health challenges.Laku’s defense attorney, Margaret Jansch, says her client suffers from significant PTSD and depression, adding that mental illness must be part of the broader conversation surrounding the case.”As we all know, there’s two parts to a crime,” Jansch said. “There’s the conduct and the mental state. And, I just want people to know that she suffers from her mental illness.”Gov. Phil Scott also addressed the issue during his weekly press conference, saying Vermont needs additional support and resources to address situations involving repeat offenders and mental health concerns.”Courts are left with little choice but to release violent offenders back into the community, often unsupervised with no accountability,” Scott said. “This leaves families and victims feeling like the justice system failed and Vermonters feeling unsafe.”George says the long-term solution goes beyond the courtroom and will require investment in mental health treatment, state support systems, and coordination with the Department of Mental Health.”It’s a really huge gap in our system,” George said. “And it is not one that the criminal legal system is going to be able to solve. It has to be solved outside of our system and within the mental health processes.”

BURLINGTON, Vt. —

An alleged attack caught on camera at Burlington’s downtown bus terminal continues fueling a larger conversation surrounding mental health, public safety, and repeat interactions with the criminal justice system.

Surveillance video provided by Green Mountain Transit shows the moment police said a Middlebury College student was attacked by 30-year-old Refga Laku at the Cherry Street bus terminal on April 30.

Related: See surveillance video of the attack

The video quickly spread online, prompting concerns from community members about public safety and questions about how people with serious mental health challenges continue cycling through the court system and back into the community.

Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George says many people see violent incidents and assume incarceration is a straightforward solution, but she says cases involving severe mental illness are far more complicated.

“I think everybody sees something on the news or they see a violent incident on surveillance, and they have this assumption that that is an easy path to incarceration,” George said. “And it’s very much not.”

Court documents connected to the case reference Laku’s history of mental health challenges.

Laku’s defense attorney, Margaret Jansch, says her client suffers from significant PTSD and depression, adding that mental illness must be part of the broader conversation surrounding the case.

“As we all know, there’s two parts to a crime,” Jansch said. “There’s the conduct and the mental state. And, I just want people to know that she suffers from her mental illness.”

Gov. Phil Scott also addressed the issue during his weekly press conference, saying Vermont needs additional support and resources to address situations involving repeat offenders and mental health concerns.

“Courts are left with little choice but to release violent offenders back into the community, often unsupervised with no accountability,” Scott said. “This leaves families and victims feeling like the justice system failed and Vermonters feeling unsafe.”

George says the long-term solution goes beyond the courtroom and will require investment in mental health treatment, state support systems, and coordination with the Department of Mental Health.

“It’s a really huge gap in our system,” George said. “And it is not one that the criminal legal system is going to be able to solve. It has to be solved outside of our system and within the mental health processes.”