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| Studies show high number of freed inmates returning to prison |
| By Newsday |
| Published: 12/15/2003 |
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More than one-third of New Jersey prison parolees end up back in prison, according to a panel that commissioned two studies on inmates re-entering society. According to the New Jersey Reentry Roundtable, the revolving prison door has contributed to a fourfold increase in state inmates over the last 25 years and has caused state spending for corrections to surge to $1.1 billion, more than five times what was spent in 1980. "You're facing a potential crime wave if you are releasing people who've been in prison for a long time and haven't evaluated how to keep them from becoming repeat offenders," said former Attorney General John Farmer Jr., who chaired the panel with Stanley Van Ness, the state's former public advocate. New Jersey Reentry Roundtable is a group of government officials, academics, business leaders and social services providers. "A Portrait of Prison Reentry in New Jersey" was produced for the panel by the Washington, D.C.-based Urban Institute and statistically examined New Jersey prison trends. "Coming Home for Good," a summary of the New Jersey Reentry Roundtable's recommendations, was done by the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, with assistance from the New Jersey Public Policy research Institute. Jeremy Travis, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and author of the statistical study, said New Jersey is the first state to take such an in-depth study. Using a number of statistics, the studies _ provided to The Star-Ledger of Newark last week _ underscore problems that have resulted as more and more inmates are released from state prisons. In 2002, 14,849 inmates were released, four times the number freed in 1980. Of than figure, one in 10 had a communicable disease such as AIDS or hepatitis, while half had drug or alcohol problems. Eleven percent suffered from mental illness, and few of those released received any job training or drug treatment while in prison. A third were freed without any parole supervision. Most of the inmates ended up in poor neighborhoods that are ill-equipped to provide housing, health care or help re-establish family ties. New Jersey Reentry said that many ex-convicts slip between the cracks, despite the number of public and private agencies responsible for assisting them. Thirty-nine percent of those sent to state prisons last year were parole violators. Inmates sent to prison with mandatory minimum sentences account for 61 percent of the New Jersey prison population, an 11 percent increase since the early 1980s. State Attorney General Peter C. Harvey, who served on the panel, said the state needed to do a better job on behalf of inmates rejoining society. "It's unrealistic to expect a grown man or grown woman to walk around day after day with no money in their pocket and in unemployment. Sooner or later, he or she is going to engage in some illegal activity to earn a living," Harvey said. To address the problem, the panel has recommended better screening of incoming inmates, ending unsupervised releases, expanding community transition programs and rescinding laws that bar ex-convicts from holding certain jobs and public assistance programs. The panel stressed improved coordination is also needed among the corrections department, its parole division, the health department and neighborhood aid groups. The panel also recommended appointing an official to oversee inmate re-entry issues, a suggestion Gov. James E. McGreevey is seriously considering, said Lisa Eisenbud, his deputy chief of management and operations. "There is a lot we can do on this issue simply by making it rise to the top of public policy," Eisenbud said. |
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