Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman defends the program, instead saying that fault lies in parole supervision — Rondell Jones had dodged officers since his release
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File photos of Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (AP Photo/Mel Evans) and Gov. Chris Christie (Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-Ledger)TRENTON — Rondell Jones was not scheduled to be out of prison for another four months when he allegedly shot and killed a Newark man in Jersey City less than two weeks ago.
But he was on the street that day because of a new program that allows some inmates to be released months early — even though he was caught with a cell phone behind bars, no small offense to prison officials.
Now the shooting, which claimed the life of 21-year-old Eric Thomas, is the flashpoint for a political firestorm.
Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday called for the elimination of the early release program and harshly criticized Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer) for sponsoring the measure.
"It is tragic that because of Assemblywoman Watson Coleman’s philosophy on crime, that we now have one person who has lost his life," he said at a news conference.
He added, "We can only hope that there won’t be anybody else who loses their lives."
Coleman rejected the governor’s criticism of the program, and said it was parole supervision that might need to be improved since Jones, 21, had dodged officers since his release.
"This is a tragedy that anybody killed anybody," she said. "But does that one act negate the validity of a whole system of reform?"
The early release program was part of a bill signed by former Gov. Jon Corzine on his last day in office that was intended to lower the number of former inmates returning to prison by increasing training and educational programs. The law allows nonviolent inmates to be released under parole supervision six months before their sentences end.
The Christie administration has battled Coleman on this issue. Jeffrey Chiesa, Christie’s chief counsel, has accused Coleman of reneging on her promises to repeal the early release provision in the law. "The safety of our fellow citizens has been greatly endangered due to your failure to fix the problems with your legislation," Chiesa wrote to Coleman in July.
Coleman said no such promise was made, and that her only commitment was to ensure the law did not allow the release of inmates before they were eligible for parole. She accused Christie of trying to deflect attention from concerns about school construction, which she had criticized the administration about on Tuesday.
Martin Horn, a lecturer at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, who at one time ran New York City’s prison system, said the state should halt early releases while the program is re-examined to see if the right inmates are being released with adequate supervision.
"It’s a complicated issue that all states are confronting," Horn said. "It has to be done very carefully, and the first priority always has to be public safety."
Christie wants to abolish the program completely, and announced legislation Wednesday to do just that. He said 222 inmates have been released early since the program went into effect on Jan. 3, and that about 25 more are scheduled to be freed each week in the future.
Asked if allowing inmates out earlier increased the chance of violent crime, Christie said: "They’re out there earlier. It increases the likelihood."
Jones had been convicted of drug and weapons offenses, specifically possession of a BB gun. He was sentenced to a minimum of one year in prison on Jan. 22, 2010. Problems continued during his incarceration — he was caught with the cell phone. Although such an offense can push back an inmate’s release, Jones was still able to get out early under the law pushed by Coleman.
He was released on Jan. 24. His prison sentence was slated to run until July 13.
The executive director of the Parole Board, David Thomas, said inmates released early can be placed in residential programs or supervised in the community, depending on how much of a risk authorities think they pose. Jones, who had not been convicted of a violent crime, was placed in the latter category. He was assigned a parole officer but never showed up.
"There were numerous phone calls and attempts to locate him," Thomas said.
A warrant was issued for Jones on March 3. Two days later he intervened during an argument outside a house party in Jersey City, near the corner of Bergen and Communipaw avenues.
Eric Thomas turned to leave the fight, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said. Then Jones allegedly opened fire, shooting him four times in the back. DeFazio said shell casings and the pistol were recovered nearby, and that witnesses identified Jones as the shooter. He was tracked down and arrested by U.S. Marshals on March 8.
"Will there be an apology to Eric Thomas’ family?" Christie asked at the news conference. "It won’t bring him back, of course. He’s dead."