From Gothamist:
New Jersey’s first-in-the-nation move to free thousands from prison early due to the pandemic hasn’t significantly affected public safety numbers, according to an analysis of state data by WNYC/Gothamist.
The state’s early release program gave people nearing the end of their sentence “public health credits” to shave as much as eight months off their time behind bars, ultimately cutting the prison population by 40% in a span of 11 months.
Now, more than one year after the first 2,500 people were released in late 2020, new data obtained through a public records request shows about 9% of those were re-incarcerated. That’s lower than the state’s overall pre-pandemic, one-year recidivism rate of 16%, according to the Vera Institute of Justice, a national criminal justice group based in New York. Continue reading >>>
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