New Jersey should pass the stalled Rehabilitative Release Bill, which would reduce the prison population by ending mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders and give elderly, long-incarcerated people a path to release. A panel of faith leaders and others on Thursday urged lawmakers to do so.
“It costs the taxpayer $2 million a year per person, per placement, excluding $300,000 on average for overtime for correction officers for those folks who need additional care, the elderly … who are least likely to recidivism and we are allowing them to languish,” said Sen Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson). Mukherji championed the stalled Rehabilitative Release Bill.
On Wednesday, the New Jersey Criminal Sentencing and Disposition Commission sent a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy and legislative leaders with four recommendations from its 13 members, including allowing people over 60 to apply for a reduced sentence after serving long terms, if they pose no threat to society and are ready for reentry.
They also recommended permitting judges to reduce or waive fines and fees for defendants who cannot afford them, allowing judges to consider abuse endured by offenders as a mitigating factor, particularly in domestic violence cases, when weighing sentencing, and abolishing mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses.
