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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American Bar Association Commission Releases Recommendations on Effective Criminal Sanctions>>
- Council of State Governments Launches Project to Promote Collaboration between State Governments and Community and Faith-Based Organizations on Reentry Initiatives>>
- Texas Legislature Considers Justice Reinvestment Policy Options>>
- Community Justice Symposium>>
- National Offender Workforce Development Conference >>
- New Jersey Update: New Jersey Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing to Recommend Expansion of Drug Courts Program>> New Jersey Supreme Court Rules that Prisoners Have Right to See Medical Records>>
American Bar Association Commission Releases Recommendations on Effective Criminal Sanctions
On February 12, the American Bar Association approved all six of the recommendations of its Commission on Effective Criminal Sanctions. The recommendations are grouped into six content areas: 1) community-based alternatives to incarceration; 2) improvements in parole and probation supervision; 3) employment and licensing of people with convictions; 4) access to and use of criminal history information; 5) representation relating to collateral consequences; and 6) training in the exercise of discretion.
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Council of State Governments Launches Project to Promote Collaboration between State Governments and Community and Faith-Based Organizations on Reentry Initiatives
Supported by the Departments of Justice and Labor, the Council of State Governments Justice Center is launching a new project to help state officials improve collaboration with community and faith-based organizations on prisoner reentry initiatives. The Justice Center will develop a policy guide for state policymakers and community-based service providers to highlight practical challenges, provide recommendations, and identify policies and programs that illustrate how particular state governments and communities have operationalized these recommendations.
Click here to learn more about the Community and Faith-Based Collaboration Project
Texas Legislature Considers Justice Reinvestment Policy Options
On January 30, Senator John Whitmire (D – Chair, Criminal Justice Committee) and Representative Jerry Madden (R – Chair, Corrections Committee) convened a joint hearing in which staff from the Council of State Governments Justice Center presented justice reinvestment policy options for state officials’ consideration. Seeking ways to increase public safety and manage the growth of Texas’ prison population, Chairmen Whitmire and Madden requested technical assistance from the Justice Center through its Justice Reinvestment Initiative. At the hearing, Dr. Tony Fabelo presented the results of the Justice Center’s analysis of Texas’ prison, parole, and probation populations, summarized in three reports: “Recent and Projected Growth of the Texas Prison Population,” “Texas Justice Reinvestment Scenarios,” and “Policy Options to Increase Public Safety and to Manage the Growth of the Prison Population.” The reports identify the state’s high rates of probation revocation, absence of mental health and substance abuse treatment, and low parole-granting rates as drivers of the recent and projected growth of Texas’ prison population.
Download “Recent and Projected Growth of the Texas Prison Population”
Download “Texas Justice Reinvestment Scenarios”
Community Justice Symposium
On March 8-10, the University of Maryland School of Law will host a national symposium on community justice, “The Deeper End of the Pond – Innovative Practices in Community Justice.” Community justice is a model of violence and crime reduction that supports community involvement in trying to repair the harm rendered by criminal offenses. The symposium will bring together academics, judges, lawyers, public health officials, the nonprofit community, and faith-based organizations to share and discuss innovative and effective approaches to advancing community justice.
Click here for more information and registration details
_____________________________________________________________National Offender Workforce Development Conference
The 3rd Annual National Offender Workforce Development Conference will be held on April 2-5 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Workshop sessions will include “Building Effective Partnerships Between Government Agencies, Employers, Community and Faith-Based Organizations to Support Ex-Prisoners,” “What Is Drug Court?,” “Breaking the Cycle: Youth Inside and Outside the System,” “Transitional Jobs Strategies for Successful Reentry,” “Building Skills: Blending Transitional Jobs with Therapeutic Models & Business Interest,” “Civil Rights & Reintegration: Reentry Seen Through a Civil Rights Lens,” and others. Keynotes will be provided by Louis Gossett, Jr. and the Honorable Arthur Burnett, Sr. and the National H.I.R.E. Network will be honored.
Click here for more information and registration details
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NEW JERSEY UPDATE:
New Jersey Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing to Recommend Expansion of Drug Courts Program
The New Jersey Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing has concluded that expanding the state’s drug courts program would be cost-effective and improve public safety. The Commission, which spent a year examining the effectiveness of drug courts, supports opening them to several hundred more participants, including individuals with substance abuse problems who are facing mandatory incarceration. The Commission will present its full recommendations in a report to the state Legislature. More than 4,300 adults have entered New Jersey’s drug courts since they were expanded to every county in April 2002; participants avoid incarceration by attending a six-month inpatient rehabilitation program and remaining drug-free for five years.
New Jersey Supreme Court Rules that Prisoners Have Right to See Medical Records
Criticizing the state for trying to evade its responsibility to provide incarcerated individuals adequate health care, on February 27 the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered the state’s prison system to develop regulations on how to notify inmates when they have a serious medical condition. In its unanimous ruling, the court also ordered the Department of Corrections to give inmates access to their complete medical records and to correct those records if they are inaccurate.
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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.