More than half of state's ex-inmates are arrested again within three years of being released Watch video
A February 2009 file photo of Riverfront State Prison in Camden. The prison is no longer there.TRENTON — New Jersey’s prison system is a revolving door for criminals that drains the state budget by jailing the same people over and over again, according to a high-level review being conducted for the Christie administration.
A draft copy of the report, obtained by The Star-Ledger, says the state’s patchwork system is in dire need of reform to reduce the number of ex-offenders returning to prison. And it says the best way to do that is to connect former inmates with jobs so they don’t return to crime.
The report’s conclusions are the result of a broad, months-long review involving several state departments and the Manhattan Institute, a conservative New York City-based think tank with a progressive reputation on prison issues.
"Exorbitant criminal justice spending persists, incarceration lingers at a high rate, and the same individuals cycle between the criminal justice system and New Jersey communities," the report says.
Almost 60 percent of New Jersey’s former inmates are arrested again within three years of their release, according to 2009 statistics from the Department of Corrections. To prevent new crimes, the report says ex-offenders need to be closely supervised and pushed back into the workforce. It points to the success of a similar Newark program, also created with help from the Manhattan Institute, and says employment is an essential part of rehabilitation.
"(Employment) provides individuals with the funding to pay for necessities and, equally important, dignity and hope," it says.
The high rate of former inmates returning to prison is a problem that has dogged criminal justice and social service organizations around the country, and the report says New Jersey needs to restructure its approach. Under its recommendations, the governor’s office would coordinate all of the state’s efforts, from job training to drug treatment to law enforcement. The Parole Board, which already supervises about 60 percent of inmates leaving prison, would be the lead agency.
The report has not yet been presented to Gov. Chris Christie, two sources said. Spokesman Michael Drewniak declined comment.
If Christie endorses the recommendations, it would be the former federal prosecutor’s first major foray into criminal justice policy since taking office. Prison reform efforts nationwide have garnered support across the political spectrum, from conservatives seeking to cut the cost of incarceration to liberals hoping for social change.
Former Gov. Jon Corzine made reducing recidivism a key part of his anti-crime plan. Shavar Jeffries, who oversaw early efforts when he worked in the Attorney General’s Office, said Corzine recognized the need for coordination between the many departments with a role in the issue, including corrections, labor, parole and human services. "Oftentimes one hand doesn’t talk to another," he said.
But the review being conducted for the Christie administration says the system remains inadequate. "What emerges is a confusing system with no centralized definitions and mission, a lack of accountability for outcomes . . . and a lack of coordination, with potential duplication of services and no continuity between services provided in prison, during parole and in the community," the report says.
The report says some ex-offenders are reluctant to find jobs because the state can garnish large chunks of a paycheck for child support they owe. It says the state could forgive some of that debt without reducing payments to families. In situations where the custodial parent already receives government assistance, child support is owed directly to the state to repay welfare benefits, the report says.
Although the report focuses on employment, it also says other proposals — such as alternatives to incarceration and changing criminal sentencing — should still be considered. New Jersey has gained some recognition in these areas, sending fewer parolees back to prison for minor violations and rolling back mandatory prison sentences for nonviolent drug offenses in school zones. The state is one of six to lower its inmate population in the last decade.
Howard Husock, the Manhattan Institute’s vice president of policy research, would only say the institute has been working pro bono with Christie’s office on the issue.
The review has involved a cross-section of state officials and even a former governor: James E. McGreevey, who volunteers with inmates and remains active on prison issues.
"Everyone in our nation — conservative Republicans, liberal Democrats, evangelical Christians, agnostics — understands our prison system doesn’t work," McGreevey said.
Newark has been running its own program to reduce recidivism for the past two years. The program’s director, Ingrid Johnson, said 829 out of 1,394 participants were placed in jobs, with a job retention rate of 71 percent. Only 7 percent of all participants have been arrested again.
Johnson said people with steady work are less likely to commit new crimes.
"Employment provides hope and direction," she said.
Prison reform may hold some appeal for Christie, who has pledged to cut spending. It costs an average of $48,000 a year to keep an inmate locked up in state prison.
"The situation is unsustainable," the report says.
Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), who has proposed his own plans to lower the state’s inmate population by getting more nonviolent drug offenders out of prison and into treatment programs, praised Christie’s "vision and insight" in examining the issue. "The focus of prison life has to change from incarceration to recovery," Lesniak said.
John Jay College criminal justice professor Jeff Mellow said high-level pressure is required for concrete progress.
"All too often we see that everyone is willing to sit down and talk about these issues," he said. "But unless there is leadership that forces everybody to stay on point, then it’s just a feel-good exercise."