TRENTON-Last month, Governor Phil Murphy announced he would be releasing inmates from the state’s county jail system…and he did. Today, Governor Murphy announced the expedited release of many more, this time in the state’s prison system.
Murphy acknowledged that COVID-19 has broken out within the state prison system.
In response, he announced a new early release program for inmates who are eligible for parole, but insisted that violent offenders would not be released under this new program.
Last week, Murphy announced a public health crisis as prisoners being released from state jails and prisons had nowhere to go once they left the system.
What sounded like a dumb idea by New Jersey Govenor Phil Murphy sounds even worse, weeks after jail inmates were set free from the state’s county jail system. Murphy touted the plan as a measure to protect the health and safety of inmates and jail workers, but now has created a new problem. Many of those released by Murphy have nowhere to go.
What we know…
- Federal prison inmates being released at the rate of 460 individuals per month.
- An unknown amount of county jail inmates released.
- Many released inmates have no home to return to and cannot “Stay at Home”.
- Former Governor James McGreevy runs NJ Re-entry which is helping to house these former inmates.
- Inmates now staying in state-run homeless shelters instead of jails and prisons.
Enter another former Democrat Governor, James McGreevy who runs NJ Re-entry, which provides halfway house services to “court-involved” individuals, including persons having served the maximum sentence in state prison, state prison parolees, county jail probationers, Drug Court participants and persons leaving federal prisons.
“We are profoundly grateful for the Murphy Administration’s authorization of the operation of temporary emergency shelters for formerly incarcerated individuals who are homeless and/or unsheltered,” McGreevy said. “Our men and women are often homeless upon release and that poses an enhanced threat to their own safety and well being, as well as to the overall community. As such, our men and women can not stay at home and cannot self quarantine.”
The number of persons being released on regular basis is staggering: 460 individuals released from state prisons per month and approximately 8,300 individuals per month contacting the county jail system.
