NorthJersey.com’s Ashley Balcerzak Reports

There’s an effort underway to reduce recidivism in New Jersey.

On one hand, Assembly leaders are advancing a handful of criminal justice bills that among other things, create a road map of what to do after released, restore voting rights to some and provide student aid options in prison. 

“People make mistakes, serve time and then leave incarceration,” said Sen. Sandra Cunningham, D-Hudson, a sponsor of many of the companion bills in the Senate. “That’s the time that you should be able to get into a position to change your life. But let’s face it, a lot of the time they get out and can’t support themselves and their families and will do the same thing and go back to prison. These bills are designed to give those people a foot up.”