Reverting people to prison for behaviors or circumstances that are not crimes is morally bankrupt, and costs taxpayers millions of dollars a year, the authors write. (Photo by Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor)
Many New Jerseyans want our state tax dollars to be allocated appropriately, including those dedicated to public safety. We know many worry that their tax dollars are wasted or misappropriated.
One important step we can take to save taxpayers’ money while maintaining access to public services and public safety is to stop sending people on parole back to state prison when they have not committed any new crimes. Known as “technical parole violations,” such charges can be filed when people on parole have trouble finding housing, test positive for drug use, or fail to find employment once released. All of these technical violations can put our neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family members who are under community supervision back in prison.
Currently, there are more than 1,100 people in New Jersey state prisons on technical parole violations, representing 10% of the total state prison population. A majority have been charged with “absconding,” which can sometimes often mean paroled people have been unable to find housing. Many others have had their parole revoked because of a positive drug test.
As members of the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility Board of Trustees, we routinely witness formerly incarcerated people sent back to the prison because they have met insurmountable challenges on the outside in reestablishing a residence, reconnecting with their children, keeping distance from an abuser, staying clean, or paying even minor fees associated with post-release supervision.
Leaving aside the obvious moral bankruptcy of reverting people to prison for behaviors or circumstances that are not crimes, this practice costs taxpayers millions of dollars a year, and is money that should be spent on supporting families and communities so people do not end up in prison in the first place. Paroled people should not be set up to fail when they come home.
The taxpayer expense of criminalizing homelessness, drug addiction, and unemployment for people already on parole in New Jersey is staggering: It costs a stunning $74,000 a year to house just one incarcerated person in our state, meaning we spend more than $84 million a year to reincarcerate people for non-criminal violations of the conditions of parole. In fact, it costs the same to reincarcerate all the people who have been charged with technical parole violations as it does to operate an entire mid-sized state prison in the New Jersey Department of Corrections.
The State of New Jersey already spends too much taxpayer money on prisons. Changes to the New Jersey Parole Act would protect public safety by minimizing the time spent in custody for technical parole violations for people whose transgressions do not violate public safety. For those cases where it can be determined that a genuine risk to public safety has occurred — such as in cases involving weapons, domestic violence, or other criminal charges — the State Parole Board would maintain its ability to sanction parolees, and prosecutors would continue to retain their ability to bring forth criminal charges where public safety is compromised. This could save taxpayers $90 million annually, in addition to cost savings of greater than $300 million in capital construction projects.
When we send people back into prison, rather than support their successful reentry, we sow frustration and hopelessness, and set obstacles along their path toward the work of rehabilitation and repair. This is not a recipe for public safety. Redirecting state money to housing, substance abuse treatment centers, job creation, and funding for the State Parole Board are the kinds of public safety measures that are critically needed.
The Edna Mahan Correctional Facility Board of Trustees
Cynthia Cupe
La’Nae Grant
Johanna Foster
Bonnie Kerness
Mechele Morris
Sheila Trapp
Kathleen Witcher
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