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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New York State Passes Family Connections Bill to Eliminate Prison Phone Call Surcharges>>
- House to Vote on Second Chance Act>>
- Justice Department Survey Shows New Growth in Incarceration>>
- Pennsylvania Legislature Considers Justice Reinvestment Policies>>
- National Institute of Justice Conference>>
- New Jersey Update: Victims of Crime Compensation Board Overhaul Bill Passes>> Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Chief Justice, AG Nominees>>
New York State Passes Family Connections Bill to Eliminate Prison Phone Call Surcharges
On June 21, New York State passed the Family Connections bill, a measure that eliminates the 58-percent commission the state had been receiving from collect calls made by prisoners to their friends and family. In aggregate, these surcharges generated over $20 million annually for the state. In January, Governor Spitzer signed an executive order calling for an end to the practice, noting that exorbitant phone rates act as a tax on the predominantly poor families of incarcerated individuals.
Read about the Family Connections bill
Learn more about the campaign to eliminate the surcharges
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House to Vote on Second Chance Act
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the Second Chance Act of 2007, H.R. 1593, when the members of Congress return after the Fourth of July recess. The bill is the first piece of comprehensive legislation designed to reduce recidivism, increase public safety, and help ensure the safe and successful return of prisoners to the community. The Second Chance Act authorizes up to $65 million dollars in grants to state and local governments to develop initiatives to address the various obstacles faced by individuals returning to their communities from prison or jail and a $15 million reentry program for community and faith-based organizations to deliver mentoring and transitional services for people returning from prison or jail.
Learn more about the Second Chance Act
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Justice Department Survey Shows New Growth in Incarceration
According to a Justice Department report released on June 27, the U.S. incarcerated population rose 2.8 percent in the 12-month period ending on June 30, 2006 following six years of slowing prison and jail population growth. The survey, “Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2006,” reports that prisons and jails added more than 62,000 new inmates – the largest increase since 2000 – for a total of 2.245 million incarcerated individuals. The survey showed that roughly 6 out of 10 people in prison and jail were African American or Latino and that nearly 5-percent of African American men were in prison or jail.
Pennsylvania Legislature Considers Justice Reinvestment Policies
On June 4, Pennsylvania’s House and Senate Judiciary Committees held a joint hearing at which experts from the Council of State Governments Justice Center presented analyses of the factors driving the growth of the state’s prison population, citing county jail overcrowding, limited in-prison program capacity, high rates of revocation among people under community supervision, and the underutilization of state-based diversion strategies. The presented justice reinvestment options included increasing the utilization of state diversion programs; expanding the capacity of intermediate sanction facilities for parole violators; and establishing “risk reduction credits,” which would accelerate parole eligibility for people in prison who successfully complete educational, vocational, and substance abuse treatment programs while they are incarcerated.
Download the presentation and testimony
Learn more about justice reinvestment
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National Institute of Justice Conference
The National Institute of Justice will hold its annual conference on July 23-25 in Arlington, VA. The conference will bring together criminal justice scholars, policymakers, and practitioners from all three levels of government to share information on research findings and best practices.
Click here for more information
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NEW JERSEY UPDATE:
Victims of Crime Compensation Board Overhaul Bill Passes
A bill overhauling the leadership structure of the state’s victims compensation office unanimously passed the Senate and passed the Assembly 76-3. The measure, A2322, eliminates the five full-time paid Victims of Crime Compensation Board commissioners and replaces them with a single executive director and a five-member volunteer board.
Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Chief Justice, AG Nominees
On June 21, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nominations of Stuart Rabner as Chief Justice and Anne Milgram as Attorney General. Rabner, who will be the youngest chief justice in modern New Jersey history, will replace James Zazzali, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 70.
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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.