This bill establishes a 24/7 toll-free hotline for formerly incarcerated individuals in New Jersey seeking reentry support after release from custody. It requires the Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with Corrections, Health, Youth Justice, and Parole officials, to create the service using existing hotline infrastructure. Operators must be certified peer recovery specialists (either by New Jersey's Addiction Professionals Certification Board or the national Association for Addiction Professionals). The hotline directly serves returning residents by providing immediate, peer-led support during their reentry transition.
This bill allows courts to retroactively reduce mandatory parole ineligibility periods for certain inmates convicted of specific drug and theft offenses before the bill's effective date. It applies to people sentenced under 11 listed offenses, including drug distribution, cargo theft, shoplifting, and certain school-related drug crimes. The process requires the Corrections Department to identify eligible inmates, prosecutors to get Attorney General approval before objecting to sentence changes, and courts to decide based on public safety risks if objections are filed. Inmates without objections receive automatic sentence adjustments without hearings, while objections trigger a hearing to assess public safety concerns.
This bill requires New Jersey's Department of Corrections (DOC) to submit quarterly reports to the state legislature on residential community release programs, including halfway houses. The reports must detail specific data such as reimbursement amounts, inmate demographics (violent vs. non-violent crimes), escape rates, safety measures, physical violence incidents, and disciplinary actions. Additionally, the DOC must annually analyze program effectiveness with a focus on recidivism rates and submit improvement recommendations to the legislature. The bill directly affects the DOC's reporting obligations and provides the legislature with detailed operational data on these reentry programs.
This bill (A 1764) requires county correctional facilities in New Jersey to provide specific reentry assistance to inmates sentenced to incarceration who were denied bail under recent bail reform law. At least 10 days before release, facilities must give inmates a copy of their criminal history, information about voting rights and expungement, details on employment/vocational programs, a record of their prison program participation, and a written accounting of financial obligations like fines or child support. It also mandates assistance obtaining a non-driver ID card, birth certificate (if NJ-born), Social Security card, and access to medical records. The goal is to help formerly incarcerated individuals access essential services and reduce barriers to reintegration.
This bill allows New Jersey county correctional facilities to use inmate welfare funds for reentry services that help incarcerated individuals transition to community life after release. Specifically, it permits counties to spend these funds - currently used for amenities like recreation, library materials, and commissary items - to pay staff salaries for coordinating access to benefits such as Medicaid, housing assistance, and substance abuse treatment. The policy directly affects county correctional facilities and the inmates they serve, expanding the permitted use of existing welfare funds beyond in-facility amenities. It requires no new funding, instead redirecting existing county inmate welfare resources toward post-release support.
This bill requires the New Jersey State Parole Board to proactively review certain parolees serving life sentences who are currently on parole supervision. It mandates that eligible parolees - those who have served at least seven years on parole and maintained advanced supervision status for the prior two years - must be administratively reviewed for possible parole discharge. The review must occur within 60 days of the bill’s enactment, replacing the current process where a parole officer’s recommendation was required. This applies specifically to individuals sentenced under Titles 2A or 2C of New Jersey Statutes. The bill is pending and not yet law.
This bill (S 1453) amends New Jersey law to allow inmates participating in college or associate degree programs to earn time credits toward reducing their parole eligibility date. Currently, inmates receive up to one day off parole eligibility for every five days in "productive occupations" like vocational training; this bill explicitly adds college/associate degree programs to that category. The credits would apply to all inmates in correctional facilities who complete these educational programs, without affecting existing good behavior deductions or other sentence credits. The bill does not change current wage or compensation rules for inmates.
This bill amends New Jersey's "three strikes law" to exclude crimes committed before age 18 from counting toward the two prior convictions required for life imprisonment without parole. It directly affects defendants who have prior offenses committed as juveniles (under 18), ensuring those offenses no longer trigger the harsher sentencing. The key change clarifies that only convictions for crimes committed after the age of 18 will be considered when determining eligibility for life sentences under this law. The amendment aligns the law with the existing definition of "juvenile" (under 18) and removes prior juvenile offenses from the calculation.
This bill (S 455) is mislabeled in its title; the actual text amends **special probation rules for substance use disorder cases**, not expungement statutes. It creates a new "special probation" option for individuals with substance use disorders convicted of certain offenses (excluding serious violent crimes), requiring a court to assess their condition, confirm the offense was drug/alcohol-related, and ensure no prior violent convictions. If approved, offenders must enter licensed residential or nonresidential treatment (including medication-assisted therapy) with regular drug testing, replacing incarceration. The bill directly affects people with substance use disorders who meet strict eligibility criteria, aiming to reduce prison time by prioritizing treatment over punishment. *(Note: The bill's title incorrectly references "expungement" despite the text focusing solely on probation and treatment programs.)*
This New Jersey bill (S 2665) changes how driver's licenses can be suspended for unpaid child support. It requires the Probation Division to send written notice (via certified mail) to individuals owing six months of child support or failing to provide court-ordered health coverage, giving them 30 days to pay or provide proof before license suspension. The bill adds a requirement for a hearing if the person requests one within 45 days, and explicitly removes license suspension as a penalty for other unpaid financial obligations like fines or restitution. It directly affects people with outstanding child support arrearages who fail to respond to notice.
