Identify

We identify the root causes of disparities by gathering data directly from urban residents and public and private leaders. We do this through outreach and partnerships.

Outreach

We believe the most effective way to identify the root causes of disparities is to reach out to the affected urban residents and key stakeholders who possess the most direct experience and relevant expertise: community leaders, policymakers, researchers, business executives, faith-based leaders, law enforcement officials, social scientists, organized labor, and funders. To accomplish our outreach to this diverse cross-section of stakeholders, the Institute operates an accordingly diverse range of convening and organizing activities and initiatives. A representative sample includes:

• New Jersey Reentry Roundtable
• Community Court Public Forums
• Counting the Costs/Second Chance Campaign Public Hearings
• "Moral Panic" (film screenings, panel discussions, and community forums)
• Driver's License Trainings
• Second Chance Campaign Stakeholder Launch Event

Partnerships

Because we recognize that sustained networks and referral systems generate powerful mutual gain, the Institute actively cultivates and maintains ongoing partnerships among our peers, clients, and other stakeholders. A representative sample includes:

• Reentry Providers Network of Greater Essex County:
  New Careers founded the Greater Essex County Reentry Provider's Network in 2007 to establish standards and promote solutions-based approaches to improve the service array of providers throughout the greater Essex County.
• Second Chance Campaign of New Jersey:
  Over the past several years, the Institute has sought to expand the understanding of prisoner reentry in New Jersey, particularly around barriers to successful reintegration, and to broaden the constituency for change through public speaking, conferences, trainings, and legislative testimony. To accomplish this, the Institute has developed and launched the Second Chance Campaign of New Jersey, which targets the removal of legal barriers to reentry.
• Raise the Wage Campaign
  The New Jersey Minimum Wage Advisory Commission recently issued its second annual report to the Legislature. The Institute, which is a central member of the Raise the Wage Campaign, co-authored, along with New Jersey Policy Perspective and the National Employment Law Project on behalf of a broad coalition of organizations, a submission to the Commission on December 2008. Such step followed upon the event the Campaign hosted in July 2008, at the Institute, with the support of former Senator John Edwards. Here is the summary of NJISJ's and our partners' recommendations from the Campaign's submission:
  
  
  1. Raising New Jersey's minimum wage in 2008 to at least $8.50 an hour;
  2. Guaranteeing automatic cost-of-living increases each year - as 10 other states do - to make the minimum wage rate the economic decision it should be, not the political decision that it has traditionally been;
  3. Establishing a minimum wage for tipped workers - as nearly every other state does - to provide a strong, dependable source of income for workers who rely in part on tips.
  
  For more information, visit: www.raisethewagecampaign.org
• ReLeSe:
  The Newark Reentry Legal Services (Relese) Network was developed to help formerly incarcerated individuals address civil legal matters that impede successful community integration. The Institute, along with many other regional organizations, was a key partner in the Task Force that was created in 2007 to address such issue. To learn more, visit ReLeSe's website at http://www.volunteerlawyersnj.org/relese.htm.
• Unlock the Vote Coalition:
  The New Jersey Institute for Social Justice is part of a coalition that seeks to restore the voting rights of more than 127,000 new jerseyans. To learn more click here.
• New Solutions Campaign:
  The Campaign's first goal is to repeal New Jersey's harsh mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. The Institute has joined an array of organizations to advocate for fair and effective criminal sentencing and stronger families and communities. To learn more, click here.
• Newark/Essex Construction Careers Consortium Partnerships:
  The Newark Essex Construction Careers Consortium ( N/ECCC) program owes its success in part to its strong partnership with the Essex County Building and Construction Trades Council and high quality program content delivered through the Essex County Vocational and Technical Schools. In addition, the Newark Public Schools and a diverse array of community stakeholders provide services and support to the men and women in the program. In Newark, where thirty-five percent of working high school graduates are either unemployed or out of the labor force entirely, N/ECCC has helped over 400 local residents acquire the skills they need to open a career path in a growing industry sector and to take the steps that lead from poverty to self sufficiency. To learn more click here.

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