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
-
New Study on Reentry and Employment>>
- State and Community Leaders Meet to Foster Reentry Partnerships>>
- Analysis of U.S. Prison Growth>>
- Justice Reinvestment in Kansas>>
- Substance Abuse Prevention and Prisoner Reentry Program Grants>>
- RFP to Run Program for Reentering Juveniles>>
- New Jersey Update: Mayor Booker on Reentry>>
New Study on Reentry and Employment
The Urban Institute has released the results of a five-year longitudinal study of men returning to Chicago from Illinois state correctional institutions. Co-authored by Christy Visher and Vera Kachnowski, "Finding Work on the Outside: Results from the Returning Home Project in Chicago" examines the workforce experiences of 400 men prior to their incarceration and at an average of two and six months after release. The study finds that less than 30 percent of these men employed at the time of the interview at six months after release and about half (49 percent) reported having worked at least one month since their release. Employment before prison, participation in job training during prison, strong family relationships, and an absence of health problems led to a greater likelihood of finding work after release.
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State and Community Leaders Meet to Foster Reentry Partnerships
The Council of State Governments Justice Center convened a meeting in Miami last month to discuss how to improve collaborations between state governments and community and faith-based organizations to serve people released from prisons and jails. Representatives from federal and state agencies, community and faith-based organizations, and private foundations offered their perspectives on the most significant factors limiting successful reentry partnerships and what can be done to address them. The Justice Center will use the group's input to develop a policy guide that will provide recommendations for state governments to improve and expand collaborative efforts with community and faith-based organizations. The guide will also highlight existing partnerships that are successfully addressing the needs of returning individuals.
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Analysis of U.S. Prison Growth
The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice has released a new report, "Analyzing U.S. Prison Growth." Authored by Mike Males, the report analyzes rising incarceration rates over the past quarter century through the demographic lenses of race, gender, and age. Overall, the report cites harsh sentencing laws for drug-related offenses as the major driver of the prison population growth.
Justice Reinvestment in Kansas
Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, and Sedgwick County Commissioner Dave Unruh joined with other state and local leaders on July 12 to publicly launch the New Communities Initiative (NCI). The goal of this initiative is to integrate state, county, city, and private resources to increase public safety and improve the quality of life in the central northeast area of Wichita. The effort is part of Kansas' statewide justice reinvestment strategy, which aims to reduce spending on corrections, increase public safety, and improve conditions in the communities to which most people released from prison return. The Council of State Governments Justice Center provides technical assistance to Kansas policymakers, with the support of the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
Learn more about justice reinvestment efforts in Kansas
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Substance Abuse Prevention and Prisoner Reentry Program Grants
The Prevention and Prisoner Reentry Program, sponsored by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), will provide $50,000 to between 12 and 15 faith- and community-based organizations with existing reentry programs to facilitate capacity-building and collaboration with other crime prevention efforts. The application deadlines are August 10 for the letter of intent and September 4 for the proposal.
Click here for more information and application guidelines
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RFP to Run Program for Reentering Juveniles
The City University of New York through John Jay College of Criminal Justice, in consultation with the New York City Department of Correction and the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity, has announced a request for proposals (RFP) seeking an organization to develop, implement, and manage the New York City Justice Corps, a project serving New York City youth returning from jail or prison or serving probation sentences. The goal of the New York City Justice Corps is to reduce poverty and recidivism among youth ages 16-24 involved in the criminal justice system. Working in conjunction with groups based in three target areas, the New York City Justice Corps will place participants in paid transitional employment internships and community service projects in their home communities for six months and provide youth with mentoring, case management, and job placement and retention services.
Click here for more information and the RFP
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NEW JERSEY UPDATE:
Mayor Booker on Reentry
In an op-ed published in the Star-Ledger on July 29, Newark Mayor Cory Booker announced that he has "joined with others to do whatever is necessary for a dramatic change in crime and prisoner reentry policy at every level of government." According to the Mayor, the City of Newark will soon announce a series of initiatives relating to reentry and incarceration.
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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.