Did you know that 70,000 people will return from state prison to their New Jersey communities over the next 5 years? For more facts about reentry in New Jersey,
download the fact sheet
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Civil Consequences of
Criminal Convictions in New Jersey:
Fact Sheets
Individuals leaving prison in New Jersey face many legal barriers to successful reintegration. To learn about specific restrictions in various areas, click on the links below.
The New Jersey Institute
For Social Justice, Inc.
IN THIS ISSUE
-
Federal Parole Bill Stalls in Congress>>
- Video Highlights Law Enforcement Reentry Program>>
- Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Federal Assistance for Prisoner Reentry in States>>
- National Summit on Prisoner Reentry>>
- Court Injunction Blocks Proposed Changes to California's Proposition 36>>
- Juvenile Justice Systems Issue Accountability Report Cards to Their Communities>>
- New Jersey Update: Expungement Summit, New Procedure for County Inmate Parole, Disenfranchisement Petition>>
Federal Parole Bill Stalls in Congress
H.R. 3072, the bill that would reinstate federal parole, remains stalled in the House Judiciary Committee, where it was referred after it was originally introduced in June 2005. As committee and subcommittee hearings have not yet been held, the 109th Congress will most likely adjourn without considering the bill. H.R. 3072’s sponsor, Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), describes the bill as a measure "to revive the system of parole for federal prisoners and to increase good time allowances for federal offenders."
Read a historical summary of federal parole legislation
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Video Highlights Law Enforcement Reentry Program
In partnership with the Office of Justice Programs' Bureau of Justice Assistance, the International Association of Chiefs of Police has produced the video "Offender Reentry: A Police Perspective." The video features a police department that has developed, implemented, and currently manages a reentry program, outlining strategies and practices that law enforcement can use in implementing or expanding a reentry program in their jurisdictions.
Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Federal Assistance for Prisoner Reentry in States
On September 21, the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Rehabilitation and Corrections held a hearing, "Oversight of Federal Assistance for Prisoner Rehabilitation and Reentry in Our States," to discuss how federal agencies are contributing to and evaluating state reentry initiatives. Witnesses included Roger Werholtz, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Corrections, and Diane Williams, President and CEO of the Safer Foundation. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), Chairman of the Committee, questioned witnesses from the federal agencies on the current coordination among the various agencies in measuring outcomes and successes of multi-agency reentry initiatives such as the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) and the President's Reentry Initiative (PRI). Witnesses all emphasized the importance of continued federal support for reentry initiatives.
Read the full witness list and submitted testimony
National Summit on Prisoner Reentry
The Center for Social and Health Policy, in partnership with The Performance Institute, will host the "National Summit on Prisoner Reentry" on November 8-9 in Arlington, Virginia. Topics to be covered include overcoming obstacles to employment, strategies for improving parole and probation programs, and prisoner reentry’s effects on children and families.
Reminder: The National Transitional Jobs Network will host its 2006 conference, "Strengthening Communities, Building the Workforce of the Future," on October 12-13 in Atlanta, GA.
Read about the National Summit on Prisoner Reentry
Read about the National Transitional Jobs Network conference
Court Injunction Blocks Proposed Changes to California's Proposition 36
Following a hearing on September 14, an Alameda County Superior Court judge entered a preliminary injunction that will block proposed changes to Proposition 36, California's 'treatment-instead-of-incarceration' law, while the court determines whether they are constitutional. Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill, SB 1137, proposing to jail Prop 36 participants who violate conditions of their treatment programs.
Download the full text of Prop 36
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Juvenile Justice Systems Issue Accountability Report Cards to Their Communities
Juvenile justice systems around the country are issuing report cards designed to inform communities on how well their respective juvenile justice systems are functioning. The report cards generally seek to measure community protection, juvenile accountability, and juvenile competency development. Some states, such as Pennsylvania, are preparing to issue a state-wide juvenile court/justice system report card.
Read about the juvenile justice report cards
NEW JERSEY UPDATE:
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Expungement Summit at Essex County College
Essex-Newark Legal Services, in partnership with the Next Step Program ECC and Offender Aid & Restoration (OAR), will be hosting an "Expungement Summit" at Essex County College on Tuesday, October 10 from10:00am to 2:30pm. The event will cover expungement eligibility, how to go about expungement, and how a record of arrest or conviction impacts rights and eligibility for public benefits, subsidized housing, employment, credit, and voting.
Download the event flyer for details
New Jersey Parole Board Chairman Announces New Procedure for County Inmate Parole
New Jersey Parole Board Chairman John D'Amico announced that the State Parole Board’s Division of Release has revised its procedure for handling cases of inmates serving sentences of less than 364 days in county jails. The revisions, developed over the past year, allow county inmates to waive an initial hearing and proceed directly to the final hearing. In the past, there was a four-week gap between the initial and final panel hearings. According to Chairman D’Amico, the revisions could save counties as much as $2 million each year.
New Jersey ACLU and Rutgers Law School Petition the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to Allow Parolees to Vote
The New Jersey chapter of the ACLU, in partnership with Rutgers Law School, is petitioning the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to find that denying parolees and probationers the right to vote violates universal human rights principles. The petition points out that nineteen other states and the District of Columbia have disenfranchisement policies that are less punitive than New Jersey’s. "Ignoring the racial implications of denying blocks of people the right to vote violates basic democracy," said ACLU senior policy counsel Laleh Ispahani.
Read Asbury Park Press and Courier Post news coverage
Read about disenfranchisement in Tennessee
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