June 19, 2017
On June 28, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and the Youth Justice New Jersey coalition will launch a campaign outside of the New Jersey Training School for Boys (“Jamesburg”)—New Jersey’s largest youth prison—to demand that it and the girls’ prison, the Female Secure Care and Intake Facility (“Hayes”), be closed.
“On June 28, 1867, Jamesburg opened its doors,” said Ryan P. Haygood, Institute President and CEO. “And on June 28, 2017, we will launch a campaign outside of Jamesburg’s prison doors to declare that 150 years of youth incarceration is enough. We are lifting our collective voices to transform New Jersey’s youth incarceration system into a community-based system of care.”
More than forty organizations, including the NAACP State Conference, the ACLU of New Jersey, the New Jersey Black Issues Convention, the Drug Policy Alliance, Faith in New Jersey, houses of worship, and My Brother’s Keeper-Newark have signed on-to a letter supporting this campaign.