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John D'Amico
Chairman of the New Jersey State Parole Board
John feels strongly that there are three specific areas
that need to be addressed while an individual is incarcerated
that will aid in making a successful reentry. A former Family
Court Judge, D'Amico emphasizes the need for substance abuse
treatment programs while an individual is incarcerated and
once that individual is paroled. Additionally, he feels
education is a key weapon in winning the war on crime. Education
coupled with vocational training will aid in preventing
criminal activity. Judge D'Amico acknowledges that "technical
parole violations" have resulted in large numbers of
offenders winding up back in prison. He advises that the
enforcement policy on these types of violations has changed.
Today, parole officers evaluate the nature and frequency
of the violation(s) and thus ensure that the response reflects
the severity of the problem.
He attributes the recent 20% decrease in recidivism rate
to the use of parole officers referring their charges to
drug treatment programs. While he admits that some will
find their way back into the justice system, "drug
treatment works." Financially, treatment makes sense
as an alternative to incarceration. It costs the state $77/day
to incarcerate an individual, while 60-day drug treatment
programs average approximately $25/day. Three people can
receive drug treatment for a day for approximately the same
the cost for one person incarcerated for one day. He supports
drug court programs. Judge D/Amico believes that future-programming
successes will reflect collaboration between public and
private partnerships. He notes that union partnerships (carpenters,
plumbers, etc) need to be expanded. He advises that there
are "smart ways to break the cycle and give meaningful
employment" to ex-offenders.
Charley Flint, Ph.D.
New Jersey Association on Correction - Board President
Dr. Flint is a professor of sociology at William Paterson
University and has been working with inmates for over 30
years. Her research addresses the unique challenges faced
by women (especially mothers) who are incarcerated. In examining
programmatic strategies to deal with female inmates she
advises that one must look closely at the route that brought
them to this point. Charley advises that 85% of women who
are incarcerated have been physically and/or sexually abused.
Women who use drugs often do so to self-medicate as a way
to escape the effects of abuse. Women are also the largest
growing inmate population - the majority of which are arrested
for drug-related offenses. In addition, they are often caught-up
in the system when a male companion is involved with drugs.
Women are the primary caretakers of children. When a woman
is incarcerated, the care-taking role often shifts to another
member of her family. In order to transition back to the
family, the inmate must be given parenting skills training,
as well as educational and vocational opportunities. Men
tend to have more visitors. One of the reasons for this
may be the location of the women's facility, Edna Mahan,
which is located in Clinton, NJ and not easily accessible
by either public or private transportation. Dr. Flint is
also a volunteer member of the Juvenile Drug Court team
in Passaic County, New Jersey. She can speak to the role
of the drug court and is also evaluating the program's success.
Nancy L. Fishman, Esq.
Senior Law & Policy Analyst, New Jersey Institute
for Social Justice
Ms. Fishman, Senior Law & Policy Analyst for the Institute,
has been working on urban poverty and community development
issues since 1988. She was an advocate for homeless families
in New Haven, Connecticut, working in both the public and
private sectors. Nancy speaks to a broad range of issues
including the legal barriers faced by ex-prisoners as the
reenter society. She is an expert on collateral sanctions
who deals with issues like the lack of public assistance
available to prisoners reentering society. She speaks to
the different issues that men and women face throughout
the reentry process including reunification of the family,
the stigma of imprisonment, and the "catch-22"
of finding work and obtaining employable skills. She also
emphasizes general health care issues including the need
for mental health care to assist in successful outcomes.
David Kerr
Founder and President, Integrity, Inc. (also known as
Integrity House)
Dave is the founder and president of Integrity, Inc.which
he began in 1967 following working with the Newark State
Parole Board. Integrity is a substance abuse treatment and
recovery program for addicts and recovering addicts. The
majority of referrals come from prisons and drug courts.
Dave supports the drug court model and provides a good summary
of its goals and mission. Dave believes that "you gotta
stick with people," and notes that the drug courts
mandate a five-year commitment to treatment and rehabilitation
in conjunction with support from law enforcement and community
agencies.
He cites numerous issues that he refers to as "recovery
disincentives":
- Mandatory Sentencing - lack of judge's discretion in
assigning appropriate terms results in escalating incarceration
rates.
- Graham Amendment 1996 - prevents former drug offenders
"or addicts" from receiving welfare programs.
Thus former inmates are not eligible for state General
Assistance (GA), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF), Foodstamps, subsidized housing, etc. How are ex-offenders
supposed to get their lives back on track?
- Substance Abuse Initiatives (SAI) - ex-offenders with
a conviction of "possession with an intent to distribute"
are ineligible for many welfare to work programs.
- Education Funding - state and federal grant programs
are not available to former inmates, thus the cycle of
poor education and lack of employability continues.
- Mental Illness - Dave points out that few reentry programs
deal with prisoners who are both mentally ill and chemically
addicted (MICA). Some statistics indicate that as many
as 40% of the prison population suffer from this diagnosis.
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