The New Jersey Institute for Social Justice is a non-partisan urban research and advocacy organization founded in 1999 by the Amy and Alan V. Lowenstein Foundation. Based in Newark, the Institute promotes the development of economically healthy and vibrant urban communities and challenges practices and policies that prevent urban New Jersey from achieving its full potential.
Click here for more info on the Institute's Reentry Initiative, as well as its other programs and publications: www.njisj.org
New Jersey Prisoner Reentry Fact Sheet
Previous Editions of the
NJ Reentry Digest:
NJ Reentry Digest:
The New Jersey Institute
For Social Justice, Inc.
IN THIS ISSUE
- "Second Chance Act of 2005" Introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives: Supports Reentry of Formerly Incarcerated Individuals
- Litigation: A Federal Appeals Court Upholds Florida’s Lifetime Ban on Voting Rights for Convicted Felons
- New Book on Prisoner Reentry by Jeremy Travis
- New Working Paper: "School Yard or Prison Yard: Improving Outcomes for Marginalized Youth"
- Federal Grants Available for Programs Designed to Divert Individuals with Mental Illness From the Criminal Justice System
- Reminder: Conference in Washington DC: "Transitional Jobs: A Critical Reentry Employment Strategy"
- New Jersey Legislative Update
"Second Chance Act of 2005" Introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives: Supports Reentry of Formerly Incarcerated Individuals
On April 20th the "Second Chance Act of 2005: Community Safety through Recidivism Prevention" was introduced in the House of Representatives. H.R. 1704 would address certain legal barriers to reintegration and also provide grants to States and local areas to begin to address the need for drug and mental health treatment, job training and education opportunities, and housing for individuals returning to their communities.
Appeals Upholds Florida Voting-Rights Ban;
Supreme Court Could Be Next Stop
A full federal appeals court Tuesday upheld a 160-year-old Florida law that enforces a lifetime ban on voting rights for convicted felons, even after they have served their prison time and been released into society.
New Book:
"But They All Came Back: Facing the Challenge of Prisoner Reentry," by Jeremy Travis
In "But They All Come Back," Jeremy Travis continues his pioneering work on prisoner reentry. He describes the new realities of punishment in America and explores the nexus of returning prisoners with seven policy domains: public safety, families and children, work, housing, public health, civic identity, and community capacity. Travis proposes a new architecture for our criminal justice system, organized around five principles of reentry that will encourage change and spur innovation.
"School Yard or Prison Yard: Improving Outcomes for Marginalized Youth"
This paper presents findings from a study that examined a school-based intervention to reduce re-suspensions of students sent to alternative schools, and is based upon a program evaluation of the Center for Community Alternatives' "Strategies for Success." Prompted by the growing evidence of "the school-to-prison pipeline" and the role that school suspensions play in that pipeline, the Strategies for Success program is designed to help young people step off the prison track.
Federal Grants Available for Jail Diversion Programs for Mentally Ill Adults in the Criminal Justice System
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) announces the availability of funds for a new round of Jail Diversion Target Capacity Expansion (TCE) grants. These grants will promote the transformation of systems to improve services for justice-involved adults with mental illness. This initiative will provide funds for programs designed to divert individuals with mental illness from the criminal justice system to community-based systems with integrated mental health and substance abuse treatment and appropriate support services. Beginning in FY05, funds will be available for up to three years and will support both planning and implementation phases of jail diversion program development. The deadline for applications is May 24, 2005.
Reminder: 5th Annual Transitional Jobs Conference
"Transitional Jobs: A Critical Reentry Employment Strategy"
Join program administrators, policy advocates, government officials, and funders to discuss how to implement Transitional Jobs programs to meet the needs of people leaving prison and other hard-to-employ populations. The conference will also spotlight benefits of Transitional Jobs including increased employment, decreased recidivism, cost savings to government and enhanced community well-being and will provide participants with an opportunity to visit with their members of Congress. Conference is on May 5-6, 2005 in Washington, DC. Registration extended to April 28, 2005.
New Jersey LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Upcoming Budget Hearings
Corrections and Parole Assembly Hearing:
May 3rd at 10:00 am, Committee Room 11, 4th Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ
Department of Law and Public Safety Senate Hearing:
May 9th at 10:00 am, Committee Room 4, 1st Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ
Hearings are open to the public. To offer testimony you must register at
Tell us if you like this digest and how we can make it better! Your colleagues can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending an email with name, email address and affiliation (if any) to ReentryListserv@njisj.org
For further information about news or event sharing contact Ann Cammett at ReentryListserv@njisj.org.