10 V.S.A. § 4571: Legislative findings; minor fish and wildlife violations defined

The General Assembly recognizes that minor fish and wildlife violations must be dealt with fairly but do not require the full weight of the Criminal Justice System. Minor fish and wildlife violations do not involve terms of imprisonment or substantial monetary penalties and persons who commit minor fish and wildlife violations should not be treated as criminal offenders. The purpose of this subchapter is to treat minor fish and wildlife violations as civil violations, removing them from the criminal courts and removing the label of criminality from those who commit them.