Gov. Murphy Signs Laws On Police Hiring, Services For Ex-Inmates – Montclair, NJ Patch

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — New Jersey’s criminal justice system got a big shot in the arm after Gov. Phil Murphy gave the thumbs-up to three new laws on Thursday.

Murphy signed three bills, including A744, which gives police departments and other law enforcement agencies in New Jersey more power to check into an applicant’s past, including previous disciplinary issues.

The legislation requires law enforcement agencies to provide “internal affairs and personnel files” of law enforcement officers to other agencies, under certain circumstances.

“I’ve been clear that New Jersey will be as aggressive as any state in the nation in our efforts to reform a criminal justice system that has largely failed our Black and Brown communities for far too long,” Murphy said. “Among other important changes, these measures promote a greater degree of professionalism in law enforcement hiring practices.”

Primary sponsors of the bill include Assembly members Gordon Johnson, Jamel Holley, Herb Conaway and Benjie Wimberly, and Senators Loretta Weinberg and Shirley Turner.

Holley said the law is a critical step in rebuilding trust between the community and the police.

“If an officer faces disciplinary action within one agency in one town and can easily move on to another agency in a different town without their record following them, we have an accountability problem,” Holley said. “Making sure agencies aren’t kept in the dark about the background of candidates – good or bad – is what this legislation does.”

Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg said most police officers wield their “immense power and responsibility” with honor. But when an officer has had disciplinary action taken against them in the past and tries to get hired at another department, their potential employer deserves to know, she added.

“How can we expect agencies to weed out bad actors if they can’t review an applicant’s full history?” Weinberg commented.

SOCIAL SERVICES FOR EX-INMATES

Another bill signed into law Thursday, S2331, will help former prison inmates get back on their feet after they’ve served their sentences.

According to its supporters, the law will require prisons to help ex-inmates qualify for social service programs such as food stamps, general assistance and Medicaid. The law will also help them to acquire photo identification cards.

Primary sponsors of S2331 include Senators Stephen Sweeney and Sandra Cunningham, and Assembly members Eliana Pintor Marin, Annette Quijano and Anthony Verrelli.

Former Gov. Jim McGreevey, who now serves as chair of the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, said the law will give ex-inmates “the essential building blocks to survive.”

“This legislation will require that prisons begin to prepare persons for life outside the wall,” McGreevey said.

Sweeney said the law will give former offenders “a fair opportunity at a second chance” by addressing the obstacles to their successful reentry into society.

“The barriers they encounter are even greater during the public health crisis we are now experiencing,” Sweeney said. “Providing basic services can make a real difference in the lives of men and women who are returning to their families and communities as productive members of society.”

“After release, many offenders face a lack of access to resources, and many won’t have support from their families,” Pintor Marin said. “By facilitating enrollment in Medicaid, as well as enrollment assistance in programs that provide food and housing security, this legislation helps the reentry process in the time of the coronavirus to be less challenging.”

JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM

Another new law, S2511, will give “juvenile justice reform” a welcome shot in the arm at a time it needs it the most – during the coronavirus crisis, its supporters say.

Under the new law, provisions of a previously enacted law that eliminates some court-imposed fines and mandatory assessments will take effect immediately. The law will also speed up the imposition of discretionary – rather than mandatory – post-incarceration supervision.

Sponsors include Senators Nellie Pou and Shirley Turner, and Assembly members Benjie Wimberly and Verlina Reynolds-Jackson.

“The juvenile justice reform bill we signed into law earlier this year was written before we had ever heard of the coronavirus,” Pou said. “The pandemic, however, has made the implementation of this law that much more crucial, as it will help lower populations in certain juvenile facilities and create greater opportunity for proper social distancing.”

“We have to do everything in our power to curb the spread of COVID-19, especially among our youth in the juvenile system who are at greater risk because of their physical circumstances,” Reynolds-Jackson said. “Thankfully, the mechanisms to keep children out of detention facilities and prioritize community-based programming were already in motion. Under this legislation, these reforms will now only be implemented much faster.”

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