After attending Providence College, she entered Sisters of Mercy convent in 1961, taking her final vows in 1969.
"[4] Violet later earned a bachelor's degree from Salve Regina University and was a school teacher in a disadvantaged neighborhood in the early 1970s.
During her schooling, she clerked in the judge's chambers and did an internship in the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office.
[5] Shortly after taking office in 1984 Violet learned that the Rhode Island Share and Deposit Indemnity Corporation (RISDIC), a government chartered but private (similar to Amtrak) insurance fund meant to protect the state banking system, was "woefully underfunded" with only $25 million in reserves.
[7][5] After leaving office, Violet returned to prosecuting, taught environmental law at Brown University, ran a talk show on WHJJ Radio from 1990 to 2006, and writes a weekly political column.