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
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IN THIS ISSUE
- New Jersey Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing Issues Report to Modify and Improve State Drug Laws
- Attorney General Announces Mandatory "Stationhouse Adjustment" Directive for Juveniles Involved in Minor Offenses
- Drug Strategies Publishes a Guide to Bridging the Treatment Gap in the Juvenile Justice System
- Congress Directs Census Bureau to Study New Approach to Counting People in Prison When Conducting Population Survey
- New Documentary from the ACLU and Off Ramp Films: "Democracy's Ghosts: How 5 Million Americans Have Lost the Right to Vote"
- Re-Entry Checklist for Inmates with Mental Health Service Needs is Now Available for Distribution
New Jersey Legislative Update:
- A4465 – A Bill to Reduce Certain Drug Free School Zones
- S2517 – Authorizes court to refrain from imposing driver's license suspension on defendant convicted of CDS offense if compelling circumstances exist
- A4587 – A Bill to Extend the Right to Vote to Individuals on Probation
New Jersey Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing Issues Report to Modify and Improve State Drug Laws
The Legislature established the New Jersey Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing in 2004 to evaluate this state's sentencing laws for fairness and proportionality. The Commission has finalized a comprehensive report on the impact and effectiveness of, among other things, New Jersey's controversial "drug-free zone" laws. According to the Commission, the "drug-free zone" laws are not as effective as they could be in protecting children and others from the dangers of the illegal drug trade. In addition, minorities are far more likely to be arrested and convicted under these laws and therefore sentenced to longer terms of imprisonment than their white suburban and rural counterparts.
Attorney General Announces Mandatory "Stationhouse Adjustment" Directive for Juveniles Involved in Minor Offenses
On December 7, Attorney General Peter Harvey announced a directive mandating that all police departments in New Jersey use an alternative method to resolve matters involving juveniles who are involved in minor delinquent activity. The directive mandates a "stationhouse adjustment," a process by which the police officer who is responsible for a juvenile asks the parent, guardian, or caregiver of the juvenile, and the victim, if willing, to come to the station house to resolve minor disputes without filing a complaint with the court. The officer may refer a juvenile for needed services, and, if property has been stolen or damaged, require the juvenile to make restitution in some form.
- » Read more about the directive
- » Go to the Stationhouse Adjustment Guide
- » Read the Associated Press article
Drug Strategies Publishes a Guide to Bridging the Treatment Gap in the Juvenile Justice System
Each year more than two million youth are charged with delinquency offenses. An estimated three in four of them have serious problems with drugs or alcohol, or both. Despite that fact, very few resources are dedicated to drug treatment in our nation's juvenile justice systems. A new guide published by the nonprofit research institute Drug Strategies, "Bridging the Gap: A Guide to Drug Treatment in the Juvenile Justice System," examines this critical gap in treatment, identifies the key elements of an effective treatment program and profiles 12 programs that have successfully incorporated some of these elements.
Congress Directs Census Bureau to Study New Approach to Counting People in Prison When Conducting Population Survey
A recently passed federal appropriations bill directs the U.S. Census Bureau to study the manner in which it counts people in prison when conducting its population survey. Currently, people in prison are counted as residents of their institution of confinement, rather than at their pre-incarceration address. This counting method has an impact on the apportionment of federal and state resources and on political districting, which frequently results in a transfer of political power from urban to rural communities where many prisons are built. The study is included in the conference committee report language for the 2005 Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations Bill, H.R. 2862.
- » Read the press release for more information
- » Read a related article in the Austin American-Statesman
New Documentary from the ACLU and Off Ramp Films: "Democracy's Ghosts: How 5 Million Americans Have Lost the Right to Vote"
The ACLU and Off Ramp Films present "Democracy's Ghosts: How 5 Million Americans Have Lost the Right to Vote," a film about the negative consequences of felony disfranchisement. There are multiple films on this DVD, lending itself to a multitude of different uses for advocates on this important issue. The main film focuses on the stories of ex-felons, complemented and enriched by interviews with experts and well-known personalities. To get a copy of the DVD contact Rachel Devaney at commtemp@aclu.org. [From the Sentencing Project listserv]
Re-Entry Checklist for Inmates with Mental Health Service Needs is Now Available for Distribution
The National GAINS Center's Re-Entry Initiative was launched in 2002 with "A Best Practice Approach to Community Reentry from Jail for Inmates with Co-Occurring Disorders: the APIC Model." Based on this model, GAINS developed the Re-Entry checklist to assist jails in transition planning for individuals with mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse disorders. The checklist was modified, following a series of expert reviews and pilot tests, and a free startup packet is now available to order.
New Jersey Legislative Update:
A4465 - A Bill to Reduce Certain Drug Free School Zones
On Dec. 5, a bill to modify New Jersey's "Drug Free School Zones" by reducing certain drug free zones from 1,000 feet to 200 feet passed out of the State Assembly's Law and Public Safety Committee to be voted on by the full Assembly. Drug convictions within these zones are subject to enhanced penalties.
- » See Assembly bill A4465
- » See recommendations of the Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing
- » Read an article about A4465 in the Home News Tribune
S2517 - Authorizes court to refrain from imposing driver's license suspension on defendant convicted of CDS offense if compelling circumstances exist
On Dec. 12, the Senate Judiciary Committee reported favorably on S2517, a bill that proposes to amend the CDRA (Comprehensive Drug Reform Act) to allow greater judicial discretion concerning driver's license suspension for individuals convicted of drug offenses. Under New Jersey's current law, the court must suspend a driver's license for 6 to 24 months without exception. Federal law permits states to include a "compelling circumstances" exception. S2517 further clarifies that "compelling circumstances warranting an exception" exist when suspension would result in "extreme hardship and alternative means of transportation are not available."
A4587 - A Bill to Extend the Right to Vote to Individuals on Probation
On December 5, Assemblyman William D. Payne introduced a bill that would extend the right to vote to those currently on probation. The bill was referred to the Assembly State Government Committee.
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