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
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Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Second Chance Act>>
- New Jersey to Launch Four Needle Exchange Pilot Programs>>
- Florida Weighs Options to Reduce Corrections Costs>>
- Drug Court Conference>>
- Sentencing and Incarceration Alternatives Funding>>
- New Jersey Update: New Briefing Paper on the Reentry of Gang-Affiliated Individuals>>
Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Second Chance Act
On August 2, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee completed the mark-up of the Second Chance Act of 2007 (S.1060). The bill will now be sent to the Senate floor for consideration, which sponsors say will take place shortly after the August recess. The bipartisan bill has 30 co-sponsors in the Senate. In the House, key sponsors are working to bring the bill to the floor for a vote when Congress reconvenes in September. The Second Chance Act would authorize a $65 million reentry grant program administered through the Department of Justice for state and county reentry initiatives and a $15 million reentry program for community and faith-based organizations to deliver mentoring and transitional services. The bill also includes drug treatment and mentoring grant programs.
Learn more about the Second Chance Act
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New Jersey to Launch Four Needle Exchange Pilot Programs
Needle exchange pilot programs will be established in Paterson, Camden, Newark, and Atlantic City as the state begins its implementation of the harm reduction strategy targeting IV-drug users. The State Health Department announced the sites as part of a program that will provide $10 million for treatment but leave financing of needle distribution up to local communities. New Jersey lawmakers recently lifted the longstanding ban on needle exchange by approving the pilot programs, which are expected to launch this fall. The programs will be required to report on participation rates, treatment referrals, and numbers of needles exchanged.
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Florida Weighs Options to Reduce Corrections Costs
Faced with a $1.5 billion budget shortfall, Florida is considering a range of alternatives to shrink its prison population. The Florida Department of Corrections’ core proposal for cutting its budget is to allow the lowest-risk incarcerated individuals, those already in work-release programs who are not escapees or sex offenders, to go on intensive probation, where they would have to be checked on six times each month. Another proposed cut is to allow non-sex offending inmates near the end of their sentences to be released three months early.
Drug Court Conference
The New England Association of Drug Court Professionals will hold its 7th annual conference on September 20-21 in Boston. “Addiction: The New England Drug Court Perspective – When Communities Respond People Recover” will be the theme. Keynote speakers include West Huddleston, CEO of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, and Tim Condon, Deputy Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Other featured speakers are Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, John Walters, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and John Hoffman and Susan Froemke, co-executive producers of HBO’s Addiction Project. Break-out sessions will explore a number of substantive topics related to the drug court system, covering both current practice and emerging policy and legislative initiatives. The conference is intended for judges and drug court professionals, state and community leaders, health care providers, and advocates.
Click here for more information and registration details
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Sentencing and Incarceration Alternatives Funding
The Open Society Institute is accepting letters of inquiry from groups seeking funding from its Sentencing and Incarceration Alternatives Project. The Project supports programs that seek alternatives to prison, reduce the length of criminal sentences, limit the growth of prisons, mobilize communities to seek changes to public policy regarding incarceration, and eliminate class and racial disparities in sentencing and imprisonment. Advocacy groups, associations of elected officials, community-based groups, nonprofit business associations, government agencies, and research and scholarly institutions may apply.
Click here for more information and application guidelines
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NEW JERSEY UPDATE:
New Briefing Paper on the Reentry of Gang-Affiliated Individuals
The New Jersey Institute for Social Justice has released a new briefing paper on the reentry of gang-affiliated individuals in New Jersey.
“Do No Harm,” authored by Richard Greenberg, provides background information and identifies promising strategies to help guide New Jersey’s policy and practice on the reentry of gang-affiliated individuals. Emphasizing evidence-based strategies that could be used to make gang activity less violent and pervasive, the paper synthesizes and translates existing approaches that could be implemented in New Jersey to improve reentry outcomes for this population.
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For more information about news or event sharing contact rgreenberg@njisj.org. To subscribe or unsubscribe to the New Jersey Reentry Digest, visit the subscription page.