Prisoner Reentry

Of the nearly 70,000 adults and juveniles expected to leave New Jersey correctional facilities over the next five years, it is estimated that two-thirds will be re-arrested within three years of release. Meanwhile, annual state spending on correction and supervision has rapidly increased to more than $1 billion in recent years. The challenges posed by this costly cycle of recidivism have been central to the Institute’s Prisoner Reentry initiative. For urban areas like Newark, Camden, and Trenton, prisoner reentry is about more than criminal justice. It is a fundamental community development issue.

The Institute conducts a broad range of activities designed to raise the profile of prisoner reentry issues for state decision-makers and local communities, and to help protect communities from the negative impacts of reentry. These efforts began with the convening of the New Jersey Reentry Roundtable, a year-long initiative that brought together government policy makers, researchers, local and national experts, community service providers, victims advocates, and formerly incarcerated people to develop an empirically-based understanding of reentry in New Jersey and propose policy and programmatic responses.  The Roundtable’s final report, Coming Home for Good: Meeting the Challenge of Prisoner Reentry in New Jersey, has provided a blueprint for policy change in the state and guides the Institute’s on-going advocacy.  Other highlights of our work in this area include:

•   Collaboration with state and local government – The Institute served as facilitator and technical advisor for the state’s participation in the National Governor’s Association Reentry Policy Academy, and has worked with state agencies, commissions and with local governments to develop effective reentry strategies.

•  Knowledge Building – The Institute has convened experts and stakeholders in numerous roundtables and conferences to expand our understanding of incarceration and reentry.

• Policy Analysis and Advocacy – The Institute works extensively with advocates and policy leaders to analyze the impact of existing and proposed laws on reentry.

• Practical tools – The Institute has created practical materials for community members and advocates working to address reentry barriers.  These include the Essex County Smart Book, a pre- and post-release guide for people returning to Essex County; Getting Back on the Road, a manual on driver’s license reinstatement; and a series of Fact Sheets detailing the civil consequences of criminal convictions.

•  New Careers – The Institute has recently launched a demonstration program that provides job training and appropriate social services to facilitate the reentry of former prisoners into their home communities.

•   Second Chance Campaign of New Jersey - The mission of the Second Chance Campaign of New Jersey is to achieve the safe and successful reintegration of adults and juveniles returning home from incarceration by promoting policies that remove barriers to productive citizenship.  The Campaign agenda includes measures that will improve the safety and security of New Jersey’s families and communities, save state and municipal dollars, and promote racial equity.

•  Newark Reentry Legal Services (ReLeSe) Network - The Institute was instrumental in designing and launching a pilot project to help formerly incarcerated individuals address civil legal matters that are barriers to successful community reintegration. Organized through a collaboration among Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s Office, Seton Hall and Rutgers Law Schools, Volunteer Lawyers for Justice, Legal Services of New Jersey, Essex-Newark Legal Services, the Newark Alliance, and the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, ReLeSe matches clients with volunteer attorneys to handle issues most commonly encountered by recently incarcerated individuals but not handled by existing legal services programs.  Referrals to the program are made by local service providers that work with the reentry population (the New Careers Project, Opportunity Reconnect, Goodwill Industries, Prodigal Sons and Daughters, American Friends Service Committee, Offender’s Aid and Restoration) as well as by Newark City Hall and the Newark Municipal Court.  All assistance is provided free of charge.