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
[PDF: 135KB/1Page]
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
-
Second Chance Act Update>>
- New York Court Overturns Dismissal Over 21-Year-Old Conviction>>
- Call for Employment Screen/Assessment Tool>>
- Mentoring Children of Prisoners Grants>>
- Employment and Training Administration Youthful Offender Grants >>
- New Jersey Update: Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Death Penalty Abolition Bill>> Juvenile Offender Community Service Bill Referred to Committee>>
Second Chance Act Update
The vote scheduled in the House last week on H.R. 1593, the Second Chance Act, was postponed. Democratic leadership had placed the bill on the suspension calendar, but now have delayed the vote until Republicans can assure enough votes for passage. The bill’s sponsors, Congressmen Danny Davis (D-IL) and Chris Cannon (R-UT), are working with leadership to place it back on the calendar for a vote as soon as possible. The Act, which has broad bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate, is the first comprehensive federal reentry legislation. The bill authorizes up to $65 million in grants to state and local governments to develop reentry initiatives 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.
Click here for more information on the Second Chance Act
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New York Court Overturns Dismissal Over 21-Year-Old Conviction
On April 18, a Manhattan judge overturned a state agency’s decision to dismiss a United Cerebral Palsy employee because of his 21-year-old felony conviction for third-degree attempted possession of a weapon (United Cerebral Palsy functions under the auspices of New York State’s Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities). Supreme Court Justice Emily Jane Goodman found that the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities’ termination of Michael Boatwright based on his 1985 conviction rested on an “arbitrary and capricious” interpretation of a law barring unfair discrimination against people convicted of crimes. New York law bars employers of more than 10 employees from discriminating in employment decisions solely on the basis of criminal convictions.
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Call for Employment Screen/Assessment Tool
The Prisoner Reentry Institute, Urban Institute, and Montgomery County Department of Corrections are co-developing two documents related to jail reentry that will be released this summer. One of the documents is a practical toolkit for jail administrators to use to guide the development of reentry programs and approaches in their local jurisdictions. The team is searching for a one- or two-page employment screen/assessment tool that could be included in the toolkit to offer as an example for jails to adopt or modify, which would be utilized to assess job readiness among people incarcerated in jail. Concise employment screen/assessment tools to be considered for inclusion in the toolkit can be sent to dmukamal@jjay.cuny.edu or jmellow@jjay.cuny.edu.
Mentoring Children of Prisoners Grants
The Administration for Children and Families is accepting grant applications for the Mentoring Children of Prisoners (MCP) program, which supports the creation and maintenance of one-on-one mentoring relationships between children of incarcerated parents and adult mentors. Faith-based and community organizations are eligible to apply. The application deadline is June 4.
Download application guidelines
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Employment and Training Administration Youthful Offender Grants
The Employment and Training Administration has announced the availability of approximately $20 million for Youthful Offender Grants. These grants will be awarded to support three categories of projects: 1) Registered Apprenticeship (to increase the placement of young adults being released from the criminal justice system in registered apprenticeship); 2) Alternative Educational Pathways (to increase the educational achievement and attainment of youth in the juvenile justice system); and 3) Project Expansion (to replicate effective programs for serving juvenile offenders). Applicants can apply for grants in more than one of these categories, but separate applications must be submitted for each category. Applicants may be faith-based and community organizations, national community-based organizations, State Apprenticeship Agencies, state workforce agencies, local workforce investment boards, and state correctional agencies. The application deadline is May 31.
Click here for more information
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NEW JERSEY UPDATE:
Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Death Penalty Abolition Bill
On May 10, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill that wouldmake New Jersey the first state to abolish the death penalty since states began reinstating their capital punishment laws more than three decades ago. Under the measure, which was approved in an 8-to-2 vote, the death penalty would be replaced with a sentence of life without the possibility of parole for the most serious of crimes. The Committee’s chairman, Senator John H. Adler, predicted that the full Senate would approve the measure.
Juvenile Offender Community Service Bill Referred to Committee
On May 21, a bill to establish a “Juvenile Offender Community Conservation and Improvement Services Program” (S437) was referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. Co-sponsored by State Senators Ron Rice and Anthony Bucco, the measure would offer the courts the option of sentencing non-violent juvenile offenders to a 90-day nonresidential program consisting of vocational, educational, and counseling services. Although primarily rehabilitative, the program would also assign juvenile offenders to local community service projects.
Download the bill
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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.