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
-
Rhode Island Restores Voting Rights to People Under Felony Probation and Parole Supervision>>
- Social Security Administration Releases Report on Issuing Replacement Social Security Cards to Prisoners>>
- New Resource on Youth Court Legislation>>
- Texas Advisory Commission Offers Strategies to Improve the State's Criminal Justice System>>
- Funding Announcement: BJA Comprehensive Approaches to Sex Offender Management Program>>
- New Jersey Update: Court Rules in Favor of Inmates' Right to View Videotape>> Former State Prisons Warden Named Deputy Director of Essex County Jail>> Prison Justice Advocates Form New Statewide Coalition>>
Rhode Island Restores Voting Rights to People Under Felony Probation and Parole Supervision
On Election Day, Rhode Island voters approved the ballot initiative known as “Question 2,” a measure that removes the ban on voting for people under felony probation and parole supervision. The referendum had been placed on the ballot by the state legislature and received broad support throughout Rhode Island, including from the Providence police chief, the secretary of state, and prominent civil rights and community-based organizations. Among New England states, Rhode Island joins Massachusetts and New Hampshire in automatically restoring voting rights upon release from prison.
Read Salon.com and New York Times coverage
Download Rhode Island Restoration of Voting Rights Act
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Social Security Administration Releases Report on Issuing Replacement Social Security Cards to Prisoners
The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Office of the Inspector General, an independent auditing body within the SSA, has released a report on the SSA’s policies for issuing replacement Social Security cards to prisoners. The report comes in the wake of the SSA’s recent decision to cease entering into memoranda of understanding with corrections agencies to help prisoners obtain replacement cards. The audit found that local SSA offices did not perform on-site reviews of prison procedures for submitting replacement card applications and, for their part, prison officials did not adequately review and certify information about prisoners’ identities before submitting this information with replacement card applications.
Click here for information on access to federal benefits for individuals released from prison or jail
Download NJISJ’s Public Assistance Fact Sheet
New Resource on Youth Court Legislation
The National Youth Court Center, in partnership with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, has published “An Update on Teen Court Legislation.” Authored by Michelle Heward, Professor of Criminal Justice at Weber State University, the bulletin provides a broad scan of youth court legislation in the United States. The report is intended to serve as a benchmarking tool for state governments and advocacy groups in their efforts to reform or draft such legislation.
Texas Advisory Commission Offers Strategies to Improve the State's Criminal Justice System
The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission has released a report following a recent review of the state’s Department of Criminal Justice, Board of Pardons and Paroles, and Correctional Managed Health Care Committee. The Commission’s report details ten issues and corresponding recommendations for the Texas Legislature to consider to improve the state’s criminal justice system. Among the ten recommendations, the report urges the Texas Parole Division to identify low-risk incarcerated individuals and establish a formal process for releasing these individuals early from parole and mandatory supervision. The Commission also recommended that judges be authorized to permit the early release of incarcerated individuals who pose no public safety risk due to their medical conditions.
Funding Announcement: BJA Comprehensive Approaches to Sex Offender Management Program
The Bureau of Justice Assistance is seeking applications for funding under the Comprehensive Approaches to Sex Offender Management Program. State, local, and tribal jurisdictions are eligible to apply. Grants are available to conduct planning, training, implementation and/or enhancement activities for probation and parole officers and other personnel who provide case management and relapse prevention services to released sex offenders. The application deadline is December 7.
Download the application guidelines
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NEW JERSEY UPDATE:
Court Rules in Favor of Inmates' Right to View Videotape
A state appeals court has ruled that the New Jersey Department of Corrections cannot deny prisoners access to prison videotape of incidents during disciplinary proceedings. According to the November 6 ruling, the DOC must at minimum provide an explanation and some information about what the videotape shows. The case involved a fight among 34 inmates at Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in August 2005. Based upon a videotape of the incident, Ramon Robles was identified as a participant and disciplinary charges were filed against him. At the hearing, correctional officials reviewed the videotape, found Robles guilty, and sentenced him to 15 days of detention and one year in administrative segregation. Robles, who represented himself in the hearing, was not allowed to view the videotape, which he claimed would have exonerated him.
Former State Prisons Warden Named Deputy Director of Essex County Jail
The former warden of four New Jersey state prisons, Alfaro Ortiz, was named Deputy Director of Essex County Jail on November 8. County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr. kicked off his second term with the personnel move at the Newark facility, which has been the target of frequent criticism in recent years regarding its conditions and management. Ortiz will oversee the Essex County Jail’s medical department, food services, recreation activities, and social work.
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Prison Justice Advocates Form New Statewide Coalition
Prisoner advocates, family members and former prisoners met on October 24 at the offices of the New Jersey Association on Corrections in Trenton and agreed to form a statewide community coalition. The newly formed New Jersey Prison Justice Coalition will address prison conditions that affect the people who live and work in New Jersey’s jails and prisons. The impetus for the formation of a coalition came from the prisoner advocacy organizations themselves and from reports by prisoners, their families, and concerned citizens about conditions in the adult prison system. Family advocacy and service organizations that participated in planning and implementing the founding meeting include: American Friends Service Committee, Prison Committee of the New Jersey NAACP, Hispanic Directors Association, ACLU of New Jersey, People’s Organization for Progress, Office of Jail and Prison Ministry of the Diocese of Trenton, Women Who Never Give Up, and Redeem-Her.
Read press release for more information and participation details
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