More than 800 New Jersey inmates were released early at the weekend, under a state law signed a year and a half ago that allows for shorter sentences for some people incarcerated during a public health emergency. Eligible inmates who serve during a public health emergency get credits that shorten their sentences by up to eight months if they have less than a year to go. Inmates are not eligible if they were convicted of murder or aggravated sexual assault, or if they’re deemed a repetitive sex offender.
Thousands have been released under the program, which has both its supporters and its critics. Assemblywoman Kim Eulner (R-Monmouth) said, “The fact that some prisoners committed violent crimes or slipped back into whatever got them into prison in the first place is exactly what is wrong with early release. Not everyone is fit to rejoin society. Nobody is safer because of this program, and it undermines the legal system.”
