More than two weeks before a Jersey City fatal shooting by an ex-inmate, Brandon Isler allegedly killed a teenager in Camden, one month after being released early from prison
File photos of Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (AP Photo/Mel Evans) and Gov. Chris Christie (Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-Ledger)TRENTON — The controversy over the state’s new early-release program was sparked last week by the revelation that a Jersey City man was accused of murder just six weeks after being allowed out of prison months ahead of schedule.
But records reveal that wasn’t the first slaying attributed to an inmate who was released early.
More than two weeks before Rondell Jones was charged with pulling the trigger in Jersey City, Brandon Isler allegedly shot and killed a teenager in Camden on Feb. 18, one month after being released early from prison. It was Isler’s second stint in state prison and his sentence on drug and weapons charges had been scheduled to end June 27.
The killing fuels an already fierce dispute involving the early-release program, sponsored by Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer), signed into law by then-Gov. Jon Corzine and harshly criticized by Gov. Chris Christie.
"This just shows what a disaster for public safety this early-release program is," Christie said in an interview with The Star-Ledger. "People are being killed because of it."
Coleman, in a statement, said Christie was wrong to blame early releases for the killings.
"Legislation doesn’t kill people," she said. "No murder is acceptable, but so far it seems most people are using this program to try to positively turn their lives around."
From the beginning of the program on Jan. 3 through March 18, 239 inmates have been released early. Parole Board records requested by The Star-Ledger show seven people, including Jones and Isler, were arrested in connection with new crimes, such as domestic violence and theft, since their release. Three others have ducked supervision.
Collectively, the inmates released early had served time on one murder charge, two manslaughter charges, 50 weapons charges and 46 assault charges. There were 92 offenses involving possession or distribution of drugs, the most common type of charge.
Only 58 of the 239 inmates released early were assigned to secure facilities, according to Parole Board records. Tony Villalobos, state delegate for Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 326, said early releases have increased parole officer caseloads.
"We’re being asked to do more with less," he said.
Coleman has said the program should improve public safety because inmates would be released with parole supervision rather than finishing sentences with no strings atttached. Now she’s raising concerns that the Parole Board is not being vigilant enough and too few inmates are being sent to residential facilities.
"It’s becoming painfully clear that the administration may not be up to the task of implementing this law properly," Coleman said.
Today, Coleman sent letters to Attorney General Paula Dow, Department of Corrections Commissioner Gary Lanigan and Parole Board Chairman James Plousis calling for a meeting to discuss how better to implement the early-release program.
Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak rejected Coleman’s criticism, saying she was "deflecting blame for a lousy law." Christie said the early-release program is inherently flawed, in part because it reduces the Parole Board’s discretion by allowing certain inmates to be released early automatically.
When then-Gov. Corzine approved Coleman’s bill last year, he attached a signing statement saying he expects the early-release provision "will not become effective." Christie and Coleman disagree over what that actually meant. Coleman said her only agreement was to ensure inmates were not getting out before their first parole dates, while Christie accused her of reneging on a clear commitment to roll back the entire program.
Corzine, in a statement from a spokesman, did not directly address that issue but said the law should be improved.
"Everyone is horrified by violence, and when it occurs, people naturally try to assign blame," Corzine spokesman Josh Zeitz said. "(Corzine) believes that we should keep our eye on the ball and work together to make the law a better one, so that ex-felons become productive and law-abiding citizens."
Sen. Diane Allen (R-Burlington), who is sponsoring a bill to stop the early releases, said keeping inmates in prison eliminates opportunities for new crimes. "I want to make sure they stay in that bed in prison rather than creating havoc on the streets," she said.
Parole Board Executive Director David Thomas said it’s too early to tell if inmates released early are committing more crimes than other ex-offenders.
Despite his criticism, Christie said he wants to work with Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) on his proposal to move drug addicts out of prison and into treatment programs.
Lesniak is pushing a proposal to cut some prison sentences by two years but emphasized differences between his plan and Coleman’s. Only offenders diagnosed with addiction problems would be eligible, and they would be placed in residential treatment programs only after completing courses in prison. "I hope inflammatory political rhetoric stays out of our efforts to change the face of corrections in New Jersey," he said.
Christie supported Lesniak’s focus on drug treatment, saying, "I’d like to work with him to come up with a bipartisan approach to this issue."