Criminal Justice Reform – Page 5 – Unitarian Universalist FaithAction NJ

ACTION ALERT: Support A547 Limiting Solitary Confinement

by UU FA OfficeSeptember 20, 2016

In January, President Obama put major limits on solitary confinement in federal prisons. But New Jersey is still lagging far behind.

The NJ Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee will hold a hearing on a bill to restrict solitary confinement this Thursday, September 22. The Senate bill, S51, passed by a vote of 23-16 on June 23, 2016.

This bill, S51/A547, would dramatically limit when New Jersey subjects people to extreme isolation for long periods of time and create a total ban on the practice for vulnerable populations who suffer most from it.

This bill would:

Require facilities to use isolated confinement only as a last resort, when less restrictive treatment would pose too much of a risk;
Prohibit isolation for more than 15 consecutive days or 20 days in a 60-day period;
Ban isolation for members of vulnerable populations, such as people who have mental illnesses, pregnant women, and people with various disabilities;
Require medical clearance and daily evaluations when a prisoner is held in isolation.

Long-term isolated confinement poses extremely harmful effects on any prisoner, but especially members of vulnerable populations, such as people with mental illnesses, pregnant women, people under 21, and people over 55. It can worsen existing mental illnesses and inflict psychological trauma where it didn’t exist before. Alternatives to isolated confinement have proven to be successful, because they don’t come with the socially destructive side effects that result from psychological torture.

Most prisoners will re-enter society once they’ve served their time. Once they emerge, who do we want those people to be? Most likely your answer does not include someone whose time in isolated confinement has left them more psychologically wounded and socially ill-equipped than before they entered prison or jail.

This bill won’t eliminate isolated confinement if it’s deemed necessary. But it will put much-needed protections in place to make sure that its use is humane and rare.

Learn more about solitary confinement in New Jersey

Learn more about our Criminal Justice Reform Task Force

You can step in “the box” and get a glimpse of the solitary experience at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood on Sunday, September 25 from 9-10aand 11 -1pm. Event details

Laurice Grae-Hauck is the Outreach Coordinator of the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of NJ.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Gov. Christie to Support Prison Phone Justice

by UU FA OfficeAugust 31, 2016

S1880/A1419 passed both houses of the NJ legislature on June 27. The vote was 57-21 in the Assembly and 35-2 in the Senate. This bill passed both houses in January of this year (S1771/A4576) with votes of 47-22 with 1 abstention in the Assembly and 36-0 in the Senate but was pocket vetoed by the Governor. The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reported favorably with amendments on June 6, 2016. The legislation caps interstate and intrastate rates at 11 cents per minute and international calls at 25 cents, and bans commissions, or kickbacks, on calls currently at 50% to 70% in some New Jersey jails. Commissions drive up costs for families with loved ones in jail or prison.
In October, 2015 the FCC voted to drastically lower prison phone rates. Under these rules, a 15-minute prison phone call that used to cost up to $17 will be just $1.65. (View the fact sheet) Some families with loved ones incarcerated at a distance spend $20,000 on phone bills during a prison sentence. A recent study found that more than one in three families with a member in prison go into debt due to the cost of phone calls and visits. For children who know their incarcerated parents only through phone calls the new rates will be life-altering. Studies have shown that regular phone communication drastically reduces a prisoner’s risk of recidivism.

The substitute prohibits a State department, county, or private correctional facility from accepting or receiving a commission or any other payment from the telephone service provider based upon an amount the provider billed for telephone calls made by inmates in the correctional facility. The substitute also requires the Department of Corrections (DOC), the counties, and private correctional facilities to make available a prepaid or collect call system, or a combination of the two, for telephone services. Under a prepaid or “debit” system, funds may be deposited into an inmate account in order to pay for telephone calls, as long as the department, county, or private correctional facility is not required to provide for or administer that prepaid system. The provider of the inmate telephone service, as an additional means of payment, is to permit the recipient of inmate collect calls to establish an account with that provider in order to deposit funds for advance payment of those collect calls.

Now we need Governor Christie to sign the bill. Please write or call the governor’s office, (609)292 6000, today and urge him to sign S1880/A1419.

Laurice Grae-Hauck is the Outreach Coordinator of the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of NJ.

Join Our First Visioning Discussion for a UU Police Initiative

by UU FA OfficeJuly 26, 2016

Dear Friends,

As the new Executive Director of the UU Legislative Ministry of NJ, my responses to the latest round of violence and outrage grow shorter and shorter. Quite honestly, I find myself running out of words.

What I hold onto at times like this is that we have not run out of creative or faithful responses to violence and fear.

Following up on last week’s letters concerning the Baton Rouge, Minnesota and Dallas shootings, and in the wake of Sunday’s ambush of police in Baton Rouge, UULMNJ would like to coordinate a statewide UU response to the escalation of violence towards both people of color and police. While we do not see these acts as exactly the same thing, we believe strongly that addressing one without addressing the other is both ineffective and not reflective of our shared UU values concerning the inherent worth and dignity of all people. Violence begets violence. It has to stop.

In an effort both to push forward with our own deep commitment to Black Lives Matter, and to grow and deepen our relationships with local and county-level police, we will be hosting a statewide video conference to discuss several ways we can effect change vis-a-vis our own police forces and within the larger context of historic, embedded racial injustice across the board.

Please join us on Zoom a week from today, Tuesday, July, 26 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to learn from Rohn Hein (Cherry Hill), Co-Chair, UULMNJ Dismantling Racism Group, Cherry Hill Congregation, Susan MacDonnell (Princeton), Chair, UULMNJ Criminal Justice Task Force, and other New Jersey UU leaders how we can be part of the solution.

To join the video call from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android visit

https://zoom.us/j/938562767

Or call in to (646) 558-8656 and enter meeting ID: 938 562 767

If you have never used Zoom video conferencing before, learn how to sign up here and how to join a meeting here.

We very much hope to see you on the call. This is a unique time in our national life. We have the chance to be leaders both here in New Jersey and as an example to congregations across the country. I hope you will make an effort to join us next Tuesday, July 26 at 7 p.m.
In Faith and Abiding Hope,
Rev. Rob Gregson
Executive Director, UULMNJ

A Message On the (Latest) Terrible Week

by UU FA OfficeJuly 11, 2016

Dear fellow Unitarian Universalists and our friends:
I sent you all an email last week immediately following the all-too-familiar shooting deaths by the police of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, LA and Philando Castile outside St. Paul, MN.

I need to do the same now following the terrible violence against the police in Dallas last Thursday night, with five officers killed: Brent Thompson, Patrick Zamarripa, Michael Krol, Lorne Ahrens, and Michael Smith. We must also note that, according to news accounts, at least 3 other police officers were shot in alleged copy cat ambushes in Georgia, Tennessee and Missouri. As of today, the officer in St. Louis MO is listed as being in critical but stable condition.

For now these events send us even deeper into mourning and a kind of national despair.

I hope you have had a chance to reflect and mourn–perhaps on Sunday in the embrace of your home congregation, or with those you love and can speak to about your deepest thoughts and fears.

I won’t reiterate what so many have said already, and better than I ever could. I want instead to say we are here, we are doing the long-term work necessary in New Jersey to halt the abuse and neglect of people of color and people struggling to get by, economically and otherwise.

Below you will see specific actions you can take in New Jersey now to act on your deepest feelings and convictions around the terrible events of last week and the months (and years) before. I realize the turn around time is short, but perhaps some of you will be able to attend today’s rally and prayer vigil. You would be very welcome to join our Racial Justice Task Force or Criminal Justice Task Force to push for longer-term gains.

For an excellent article on the uniquely American confluence of violence and guns I recommend this article by Adam Gopnik in the July 8 The New Yorker, The Horrific, Predictable Result of A Widely Armed Citizenry.

I believe it is disingenuous of us not to state, openly and without fear, how our national gun policy has facilitated not only racially-biased killings, but many preventable deaths across a range of groups.
I have another idea I would like to float and see where it might take our faith witness together in this state.

If you would be interested in joining with me to create an organized, well thought out approach to local and county-level police on the part of NJ UU congregations, please be in touch.

If we are to be both a gadfly AND support to our police–if we are to cry out against institutionalized racism as it affects policing as well as help those who stand on the front lines of violence and guns in American culture–then it seems to me, we have a special responsibility to engage with the police. As Unitarian Universalists. Long term. Building relationships. Reaching out to a group we often think of in our progressive circles as “the other.” Not Us.

Spiritual work, always. Justice work, and hands on work too. I would like to hear from you if this idea appeals. Please see my contact information below. If you have other ideas, please let me know them as well. Meanwhile, we will remain in touch and we here at UULMNJ will continue to advocate on your behalf on bail reform, income inequality, criminal and reproductive and environmental justice, and how institutional racism intersects with them all. At least some of the reasons that a group like the UU Legislative Ministry matters.

I trust that you and your families and friends are well and keeping your spirits up. We walk on together.

In faith and abiding hope,

Rev. Rob Gregson
Executive Director, UULMNJ
execdir@uulmnj.org

Upcoming Events

People’s Organization for Progress March & Rally

Monday July 11 at 4:30

465 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Newark
MLK Jr. Blvd. and Springfield Ave.

A Time to Pray: Prayer Service

Monday, July 11 at 7:30

St. Mark’s Methodist Church
51 Elm Street
Montclair, NJ 07042

Black Lives Matter Rally/Discussion Event

Tuesday, July 12 at 7:30

Bergen County Courthouse
10 Main St., Hackensack

West Orange March for Peace, Justice, Dignity, and Respect

Wednesday, July 13 at 6:30

66 Main Street, West Orange

Morris Area Interfaith Vigil for Peace & Justice

Wednesday, July 13 at 7:30

Morristown United Methodist Church
50 South Park Place, Morristown

UULMNJ Provides Testimony Supporting Racial Impact Statements

by UU FA OfficeJune 22, 2016

On Monday, June 20 the co-chair of our Dismantling Racism Group, Rohn Hein, provided testimony before the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee in support of SB-677 that would require a racial and ethnic impact statement for certain bills and regulations affecting sentencing. To learn more about the bill click here.

Senate Law and Public Safety Committee, Monday, June 20, 2016

S-677 Requiring Racial Impact Statement

My name is Rohn Hein and I represent the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey. I want to thank Chairwoman Linda Greenstein and the other members of the committee for allowing me the opportunity to say a few words in support of S-677, a bill that requires the development of a racial impact statement on bills before the state legislature.

The UU Legislative Ministry of NJ represents all of the UU Churches in the State of New Jersey and we believe as part of our seven principles – the inherent worth of every human being. Over the last forty years as our country has attempted to deal with the huge damage done to our society by the use of illicit drugs, legislation has been passed at both the national and state level with no regard to how disproportionately they would affect people of color. The main goal was to eradicate the problem and punish those we thought were the bad guys. The unintended consequences of these imprudent measures were a burgeoning prison population that is predominantly made up of blacks and Hispanics. As the bills were being discussed, no one even raised a question as to the final result of these actions. No one even raised their hand and said, “Let’s go slow and take a look at how this plays out.”

We at the UU Legislative Ministry are raising our collective hands and saying, “Let’s take our time and do our homework this time.”

Why we should be in such a hurry to pass legislation without a conclusive look at how we are acting racially. Too many people are saying that we live in a color blind society and that we don’t need this scrutiny. We say, if everyone believes that all sectors of our communities are being protected, what harm does it cause for us to make a rational, racial impact statement on each piece of legislation that this august body decides upon

Let’s not make a rush to judgment when patience and understanding could serve us better in creating an atmosphere of harmony and peace together.

Support S677 for Racial Justice in the Criminal Justice System

by UU FA OfficeJune 17, 2016

Challenge Racial Disparity in the NJ Criminal Justice System! Support Senate Bill 677!

A bill will be coming up for vote in the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee on Monday that would require a racial and ethnic impact statement for certain bills and regulations affecting sentencing. We are asking our supporters to write the committee members and urge them to move this important racial and criminal justice measure to the floor for a vote.

Racial disparities in the justice system have been shown to harm not only individuals in the system, but also their families and communities. A recent ACLU report found that black and Hispanic people, particularly men, were between two and 10 times more likely to be arrested for petty crimes than white offenders in four New Jersey cities..

ACLU-NJ’s executive director, Udi Ofer, says “Whether the cities were large or small, or in north, central or southern New Jersey, the data revealed a clear pattern of people of color bearing the brunt of police practices.”

New Jersey’s prison population has grown from 6,087 in 1980 to 21,590 in 2014. In New Jersey, African Americans represent 12.9% in the general population yet African Americans make up over 60% of New Jersey’s prison population.

S677 would challenge racial disparity in targeted ways:

S677 will govern a process for racial impact statements, a tool for lawmakers to evaluate the potential disparities of proposed legislation on persons of color prior to adoption and implementation. Analogous to environmental impact statements, they assist legislators in detecting unforeseen policy ramifications before the change is adopted, rather than once they have been implemented;
S677 would require the racial and ethnic impact statement to include a statistical analysis of how the change in policy would affect racial and ethnic minorities;
S677 would amend public distribution for notices to appear in the Register for adoption, amendment, or repeal of any rule to include a racial impact statement.

In recent years other states – Connecticut, Iowa, and Oregon — have adopted similar legislation.
The passage of Senate Bill 677 is a step in the right direction to challenge racial disparity in New Jersey.

Resources

‘Extreme’ racial disparity in local N.J. arrests, ACLU report finds

The Color of Justice: Racial and Ethnic Disparity in State Prisons

ACTION ALERT: Recovery Assistance for Drug Offenders

by UU FA OfficeMay 2, 2016

In December we asked you to write your legislators to urge their vote in favor of S2806, removing restrictions on general assistance for convicted drug offenders. Thanks to yUUr voices the bill (now S601/A889) has passed both houses! Passage of this bill will repeal this unfair drug war policy that prevents people from making needed changes in their lives.

The bill now heads to Governor Christie’s desk to be signed into law. He has previously shown support for recovery measures, telling an audience in New Hampshire “Everybody in life makes mistakes and we need to give people a second chance.” Tell Governor Christie to sign this bill and provide a second chance to all New Jerseyans.

The Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of NJ provided testimony in support of this legislation before the Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee in December. You may read the testimony below.

Providing Testimony in Support of S2806

Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey In Support of S2806

Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee

December 10, 2015

Thank you for the opportunity to address this Committee in support of S2806. My name is Deb Ellis and I am testifying on behalf of Rev. Craig Hirshberg, Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey (UULMNJ), who unfortunately could not be here today. I represent Unitarian Universalist congregations throughout the State of New Jersey. As people of faith, we believe that the exclusion of people with drug convictions from the opportunity to participate in Work First New Jersey General Assistance program is a violation of a just and democratic society. The exclusions conflicts with basic Unitarian Universalist moral values including: the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice and equity; and compassion in human relations.

As Unitarian Universalists, the first principle of our faith is our belief that each individual has inherent worth and dignity. “Inherent” means that the worth of an individual does not have to be earned – it is present in each of us. As a consequence, we strongly believe that the General Assistance exclusion should be repealed because individuals who have been convicted of drug offenses have the same worth and dignity as all other people and thus should have the same opportunity to become productive citizens once they have repaid their debt to society. Under current law, people are disqualified from receiving General Assistance if they have been convicted of distributing even small amounts of marijuana. When we make mistakes, each of us deserves a second chance and the opportunity to rebuild our lives through participation in work programs like Work First New Jersey.

Second, we support S2806 because justice and equity are central to our Unitarian Universalist faith. Our belief that the “Beloved Community” must be realized through human effort requires our attention to how we share the wealth of our planet. We believe that there is a societal obligation to ensure that all people are able to obtain for themselves and their families the basic material needs of food, shelter, and safety. This Legislature’s action in 1997 to exclude from General Assistance benefits only those individuals who had drug convictions was part of the now discredited War on Drugs which resulted in mass incarceration and deprivation of civil and human rights for millions of U. S. citizens. Moreover, the War on Drugs extremely disproportionately focused on people of color. As people of faith, we believe that in order to have a just society, every part of the War on Drugs must now be remedied. Enacting S2806 is an important step in dismantling the injustices of the War on Drugs.

Our final reason for supporting S2806 is our Unitarian Universalist faith belief in compassion in human relations. As you know, S2806 would enable individuals with drug convictions to be eligible for the extremely low cash benefit of General Assistance (capped at $140 per month or $210 per month for those unable to work). Even though the amount is low, being able to receive General Assistance can literally be the difference between life and death, being sheltered or homeless. This is because recipients who are homeless or might become homeless can also receive Emergency Assistance, which can be used to pay for shelter stays and rental assistance. Without this help, many excluded individuals are forced to live in tent cities, abandoned buildings, or become institutionalized in hospitals or jails.

When the General Assistance exclusion was adopted in 1997, individuals with drug convictions were also excluded from food stamps and medical care. However, the rules for NJ’s Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program programs have been changed so that individuals with drug convictions have access to the life-saving assistance of food and health care. As the winter cold descends and in celebration of the holiday season, isn’t it time to also give these individuals access to shelter and the chance to rebuild their lives by participating in Work First New Jersey? As Unitarian Universalists, we believe so.

For all these reasons, I urge you to support S2806. Thank you for your attention.

ACTION ALERT: Support S51 Limiting Solitary Confinement

by UU FA OfficeMarch 8, 2016

In January, President Obama put major limits on solitary confinement in federal prisons. But New Jersey is still lagging far behind.

The NJ Senate Law and Public Safety Committee will hold a hearing on a bill to restrict solitary confinement this Thursday, March 10.

This bill, S51, sponsored by NJ Senators Raymond Lesniak and Peter Barnes, III, would dramatically limit when New Jersey subjects people to extreme isolation for long periods of time and create a total ban on the practice for vulnerable populations who suffer most from it.

This bill would:

Require facilities to use isolated confinement only as a last resort, when less restrictive treatment would pose too much of a risk;
Prohibit isolation for more than 15 consecutive days or 20 days in a 60-day period;
Ban isolation for members of vulnerable populations, such as people who have mental illnesses, pregnant women, and people with various disabilities;
Require medical clearance and daily evaluations when a prisoner is held in isolation.

This bill won’t eliminate isolated confinement if it’s deemed necessary. But it will just put much-needed protections in place to make sure that its use is humane and rare.

Learn more about solitary confinement in New Jersey

ACTION ALERT: S221/A4115 Preventing Restrained Prison Child Birth

by UU FA OfficeJanuary 17, 2016January 31, 2018

S221/A4155 would prohibit the restraint of women prisoners during and immediately after childbirth. Under the bill, correctional facility staff or medical providers would not be permitted to apply restraints to a female prisoner known to be pregnant during any stage of labor, any pregnancy related medical distress, transport to a medical facility, delivery, or postpartum.

Over the last 15 years, 21 states have enacted laws against shackling pregnant inmates during and after labor, but many of the laws have proved ineffectual. It is estimated that about 2,000 prisoners in American correctional facilities give birth each year. “To physically restrain any woman immediately before, during or after the critical time of active child labor is entirely inhumane, not to mention recklessly dangerous for both the mother and child,” said Senator Vitale (D-Middlesex), the bill’s sponsor. “Incarcerated women are no less human than others, and this unsafe practice must be prohibited in New Jersey.”

The bill cleared the Senate with a vote of 39-0 on March 16, 2015 and the Assembly on January 11, 2016 with a vote of 75-0. It now heads to the Governor’s desk where it will be pocket vetoed if he does not take action before Tuesday, January 19 at noon. Please write or call the governor, 609-292-6000, today and urge him to sign this humane legislation.

Tell Governor Christie to Sign S1771/ A4576 for Lower Prison Phone Rates

by UU FA OfficeJanuary 14, 2016

S1771/A4576 passed Monday in the NJ legislature. The vote was 47-22 with 1 abstention in the Assembly and 36-0 in the Senate! The Assembly Appropriations Committee reported favorably an Assembly Committee Substitute for A4576 On December 10, 2015.
Under the substitute, the maximum per minute rate for calls may not exceed the maximum rate allowed by order of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for out-of-State calls and no more than $0.25 per minute for international calls.
In October, 2015 the FCC voted to drastically lower prison phone rates. Under the new rules, a 15-minute prison phone call that used to cost up to $17 will be just $1.65. (View the fact sheet) That change will make a sizable difference for families with loved ones incarcerated at a distance, some of whom spend $20,000 on phone bills during a prison sentence. A recent study found that more than one in three families with a member in prison go into debt due to the cost of phone calls and visits. For children who know their incarcerated parents only through phone calls the new rates will be life-altering. Studies have shown that regular phone communication drastically reduces a prisoner’s risk of recidivism.

The substitute prohibits a State department, county, or private correctional facility from accepting or receiving a commission or any other payment from the telephone service provider based upon an amount the provider billed for telephone calls made by inmates in the correctional facility. The substitute also requires the Department of Corrections (DOC), the counties, and private correctional facilities to make available a prepaid or collect call system, or a combination of the two, for telephone services. Under a prepaid or “debit” system, funds may be deposited into an inmate account in order to pay for telephone calls, as long as the department, county, or private correctional facility is not required to provide for or administer that prepaid system. The provider of the inmate telephone service, as an additional means of payment, is to permit the recipient of inmate collect calls to establish an account with that provider in order to deposit funds for advance payment of those collect calls.
Now we need Governor Christie to sign the bill. He has just five more days to sign before the bill is pocket vetoed due to the end of the legislative session. Please write or call the governor’s office, (609)292 6000, today and urge him to sign A4576/S1771.