By Anne Houle, Criminal Justice Reform Task Force
Did you know that slavery is still legal in New Jersey?
The UU FaithAction NJ Criminal Justice Reform task force is working to change that, and we’re looking for your help to Educate, Advocate, and Mobilize!
The 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
New Jersey has introduced legislation that would amend the New Jersey constitution to read “No person shall be held in slavery or involuntary servitude in this State, including as a penalty or a punishment for a crime.”
When these concurrent resolutions, SCR135 and ACR125, are passed, a question will be put on the ballot asking voters if they are in favor of amending the state constitution.
What now?
Educate: Whether you want to learn more about this issue yourself or help organize educational events in your congregation, we’ve pulled together these resources to help. In addition, upcoming educational events will be posted on the UU FaithAction NJ Community Calendar.
Advocate: Watch for action alerts and be ready to reach out to your state legislators urging them schedule this for a vote, and urging them to vote yes once it’s scheduled.
Mobilize: Join us as we plan ways to get the word out to the UU Congregations and to the public. You don’t need to be a member of the UUFANJ Criminal Justice Reform task force to join a subcommittee that was created to focus on this issue (although we’d love to have you join the CJR task force as well). Reach out to admin@uufaithaction.org to join the subcommittee.
Good opening statement of purpose. Clearly we are walking the same walk. Thank you. Here is the statement from our Abolish Prison S;avery Initiative.
• We are a coalition of interfaith groups in Central NJ who are deeply concerned about an exception that was written into the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (in 1874). that abolished slavery and involuntary servitude except for those convicted of a crime.
• We view this exception as morally wrong. It perpetuates the legacy of slavery itself in the form of “convict leasing” and demeaning involuntary servitude in our prisons. The sad result is that the formerly incarcerated are returned to society impoverished, demoralized, not rehabilitated, and with little hope for a promising future.
• A number of states copied the language of the U.S. 13th Amendment and its inhuman “exception” into their state constitutions. New Jersey does not have such language in its constitution. Nonetheless, our prison system takes advantage of that exception in its use of convict leasing and involuntary servitude.
• A diverse group of seven states have now voted to remove that exception through citizen referendums. Rhode Island recently set an example in 2022 by adding this language–“Slavery shall not be permitted in this state”– to its state constitution.
• We are calling on the NJ State Legislature to pass the bills (SCR135/ACR125) which would put a constitutional amendment before NJ voters in November 2024. This bill would explicitly forbid modern-day slavery or involuntary servitude in the state, including for conviction of a crime.
• This is a matter of extreme urgency. Please join us in this effort by contacting your NJ state legislators to press for the passage of these bills now!