ACR92

A Concurrent Resolution establishing the “Commission on Reentry Services for Women.”

Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):

1. There is established the “Commission on Reentry Services for Women.” The commission shall consist of the following 15 members:

a. six members to be appointed by the President of the Senate:

(1) a representative of a women’s rights organization;

(2) a representative of the New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence;

(3) an attorney with expertise in prisoner reentry issues;

(4) a representative of an organization whose members provide mental health and substance use disorder treatment services for women;

(5) a representative of the employment and training industry, who by experience or training has expertise in prisoner reentry issues; and

(6) a physician with experience in women’s health issues and inmate health issues; and

b. five members to be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly:

(1) a representative of the Women’s Prison Association;

(2) a representative of a women’s healthcare organization;

(3) a representative of the Women’s Health Institute of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School;

(4) a person with expertise in women’s health; and

(5) a representative of the law enforcement community; and

c. four members to be appointed as follows:

(1) two representatives of reentry programs, one of whom shall be appointed by the President of the Senate and one of whom shall be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; and

(2) two representatives from the business industry, one of whom shall be appointed by the President of the Senate and one of whom shall be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly.

2. a. The commission shall organize within 30 days of the appointment of its members. The commission shall elect a chairperson from among its members, and the chairperson shall select a secretary who need not be a member of the commission.

b. The commission may meet at the call of its chairperson at times and in the places it may deem appropriate and necessary to fulfill its duties, and may conduct public hearings at any place it shall designate.

c. The commission may request at these hearings the appearance of officials of any State agency or political subdivision of the State and may solicit testimony of interested groups and the general public.

d. The commission shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available to it for its purposes, and to employ stenographic and clerical assistance and incur traveling and other miscellaneous expenses necessary to perform its duties, within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to it for its purposes.

e. The members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties to the extent that funds are made available for that purpose.

f. Five members of the commission shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

3. The commission shall examine issues relating to women prisoner reentry, including, but not limited to, identifying physical and psychological hardships endured while incarcerated that may impede successful reentry, identifying specific services that are necessary for successful reentry, identifying current obstacles to women prisoners receiving these services, and proposing solutions to remove these obstacles. The commission specifically shall examine:

a. the quality and quantity of female hygiene products disbursed to female prisoners;

b. how childbirth occurs for female prisoners while incarcerated;

c. the amount of time allowed for a mother to bond with her child birthed in prison;

d. technological advances and their utilization in visitation between mothers and their children, including, but not limited to, video conferencing;

e. whether the crime committed was related to a domestic violence situation in which the woman was the victim;

f. aligning formerly incarcerated females with essential support services in order to better care for their children;

g. the psychological profile of the female prisoner, including the psychological health of the female and methods to minimize psychological damage;

h. housing, including halfway houses and residential housing;

i. education and training;

j. employment opportunities and workforce development;

k. addiction and substance use disorder treatment, including but not limited to, drug treatment for inmates released from State and county correctional facilities, the length of this drug treatment, and access to medication assisted treatment, appropriate 12-step programs, and intensive outpatient programs;

l. medical and mental health treatment;

m. access to legal assistance and current legal restrictions that create barriers to successful reentry;

n. integration of corrections, parole, and reentry, including the use of parole and supervision; and

o. coordination with faith-based services.

4. The commission shall prepare and submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including legislative proposals, to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature, no later than 18 months after the organizational meeting of the commission. The commission shall expire upon submission of this report.

5. This concurrent resolution shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This concurrent resolution establishes a 15-member “Commission on Reentry Services for Women.” The commission is charged with examining issues relating to women prisoner reentry including, but not limited to, identifying physical and psychological hardships endured while incarcerated that may impede successful reentry, identifying specific services that are necessary for successful reentry, identifying current obstacles to female prisoners receiving these services, and proposing solutions to remove these obstacles.

The commission is to be comprised of the following members as appointed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly: a representative of a women’s rights organization; a representative of the New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence; an attorney with expertise in prisoner reentry issues; a physician with experience in women’s health issues and inmate health issues; a representative of an organization whose members provide mental health and substance use disorder treatment services for women; a representative of the employment and training industry, who by experience or training has expertise in prisoner reentry issues; a representative of the Women’s Prison Association; a representative of a women’s healthcare organization; a representative of the Women’s Health Institute of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; a person with expertise in women’s health; a representative of the law enforcement community; two representatives of reentry programs; and two representatives from the business industry.

The concurrent resolution specifically requires the commission to examine:

● the quality and quantity of hygiene products disbursed to female prisoners;

● how childbirth occurs for female prisoners while incarcerated;

● the amount of time allowed for a mother to bond with her child birthed in prison;

● technological advances and their utilization in visitation between mothers and their children, such as video conferencing;

● women whose crimes were related to a domestic violence situation in which they were the victim;

● aligning formerly incarcerated females with essential support services in order to better care for their children;

● the psychological profile of the female prisoner, including the psychological health of female prisoners and methods to minimize psychological damage;

● housing, including halfway houses and residential housing;

● education and training;

● employment opportunities and workforce development;

● addiction and substance use disorder treatment, including drug treatment for inmates released from State and county correctional facilities; length of drug treatment and access to medication assisted treatment, appropriate 12-step programs, and intensive outpatient programs;

● medical and mental health treatment;

● access to legal assistance and current legal restrictions that create barriers to successful reentry;

● integration of corrections, parole, and reentry, including the use of parole and supervision; and

● coordination with faith-based services.

The commission is to prepare and submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including legislative proposals, to the Governor and the Legislature no later than 18 months after the commission organizes. The commission is to expire upon submission of the report.