On any given day, dozens of bills move through the state Legislature, each one with implications on the lives of New Jerseyans. At the ACLU of New Jersey, showing up for our communities often means testifying before lawmakers in Trenton and urging them to protect and expand civil rights and civil liberties for all.
Yesterday, we did just that. We testified on the importance of restricting solitary confinement, reforming parole, and more – but our work isn’t done.
Learn more below.
Limiting Solitary Confinement
The day began with a hearing on solitary confinement and the implementation of the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act (ICRA), which limits the use of isolated confinement in New Jersey prisons and jails.
Together with survivors of prolonged isolation and impact groups across the state, we dedicated years of advocacy calling for ICRA’s passage. When ICRA was finally signed into law in 2019, New Jersey provided a national example of criminal legal system reform.
“ICRA was passed after years of evidence, testimony, and negotiation, and it has changed practice in New Jersey,” said ACLU-NJ Deputy Policy Director Jim Sullivan, testifying before the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee. “The research that supported it has only grown stronger.”
In our testimony, we asked the Legislature to use its oversight resources to ensure ICRA is implemented properly based on available data and includes additional investment in safe alternatives.
Achieving Holistic Representation
We testified in support of legislation that would establish the New Jersey Holistic Representation Model statewide within the Office of the Public Defender.
The bill, S4298/A4897, would create a public defense team to help people voluntarily connect with existing services, including housing, mental health care, substance use treatment, employment, education, transportation, and family support. New Jersey has already witnessed the tremendous impact of increasing availability to essential services; in the first year of a pilot program in Hudson, Monmouth, and Atlantic counties, service connections increased by more than 400%.
“If someone is on the verge of a crisis, instead of having just one person to call, they would have more people to turn to for help,” said ACLU-NJ Director of Criminal Legal Reform Advocacy Rebecca Uwakwe, testifying before the Assembly Judiciary Committee. “That access to help is what builds stronger communities and strengthens public safety.”
Our testimony urged for expansion of the New Jersey Holistic Representation Model throughout the state to better protect families, make better use of public resources, and provide everyone with access to the services and help they need.
Reforming Parole
We also testified in support of a bill, A5311, that would bring the first parole reform to New Jersey in decades by ensuring that technical violations do not automatically lead to reincarceration.
About 10% of people in New Jersey state prisons are incarcerated for a non-criminal, or “technical,” violation of parole, such as not living at an approved address or missing a required meeting. None of these violations involve a new criminal charge, and time in prison does not make parole violations less likely to recur.
“Under current laws, people accused of non-criminal parole violations are often reincarcerated for actions that pose no threat to public safety. That undermines rehabilitation, and it isn’t keeping anyone safer,” said John Butler, Political Director for the ACLU of New Jersey.
Having parole revoked and returning to prison costs more than time. It can mean lost housing, being fired from a job, and becoming disconnected from family.
In our testimony, we urged the Legislature to prioritize measures that will further reduce unnecessary incarceration and address racial disparities in prisons.
These bills offer tangible ways to enact meaningful change, which will make New Jersey stronger and more equitable for everyone. We will continue working with the state Legislature to protect and expand our civil rights and civil liberties for all New Jerseyans.
Together, we can create a more just New Jersey. To get involved, take action today on an issue that matters to you.
