WATSON COLEMAN/COUTINHO BILL CREATING OFFICE TO COORDINATE PRISONER REENTRY ADVANCES

Measure Would Help Rehabilitated Criminals Successfully Reintegrate into Society

(TRENTON) - The Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee today released legislation Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman and Assemblyman Albert Coutinho sponsored to create a "Reentry Coordinating Council" to aid reformed felons as they reenter society.

"One of the primary reasons New Jersey has such a high rate of criminal recidivism is our absence of coordinated reentry programs," said Watson Coleman (D-Mercer).  "Faced with this lack of support and the stigma of their prior criminal convictions, many ex-convicts believe they have no alternative but to return to a life of crime.  We must show them otherwise."

The Watson Coleman/Coutinho measure (A-2023) would address the state's reentry coordination and implementation problems by establishing a "Reentry Coordinating Council" in the Office of the Attorney General.  The council would consist of seven members:  the Attorney General, the Commissioner of the Department of Health and Senior Services, the Commissioner of Corrections, the chair of the State Parole Board, the state Public Defender, and one public member, appointed by the Governor to a three-year term, who would serve as the chair of the council.

The council would coordinate efforts across state agencies and work with public and private reentry specialists to review, study, and craft solutions to New Jersey's criminal recidivism and reentry problem that include:

• Evaluating how the prison population can be incorporated fully into New Jersey's workforce development strategy;
• Providing recommendations for special issues surrounding juvenile reentry; and
• Providing recommendations for inter-agency communication, information sharing, and problem solving.

The council would be required to file a report with the Governor and the Legislature on an annual basis that would contain observations and recommendations for legislative action.

"We have a moral obligation to help reformed criminals surmount the various hurdles between them and a return to normal life," said Coutinho (D-Essex).  "Doing so is the only way to permanently halt the cycle of repeat offenses currently plaguing our prison system."

The panel released the measure by a vote of 4-0-2.  It now heads to the Assembly Speaker, who decides if and when to post it for a floor vote.

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