Sweeney & Coughlin to Participate in Forum on Reentry Reforms

Trenton – Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin on Wednesday will participate in a forum discussion on ways to improve reentry practices, joining with former Governor Jim McGreevey as well as religious and community leaders to focus on the report by the New Jersey Reentry Services Commission with its recommendations for the successful transition of former prisoners into society.

Senator Sweeney, who sponsored the legislation creating the commission, has endorsed the report’s recommendations.

Who: Senate President Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Coughlin, Governor McGreevey, Executive Director, NJ Reentry Corporation, Senator Sandra B. Cunningham, Dr. Aakash Shah, NJRC Medical Director, Dr. Erin Zerbo, Rutgers Medical School, Dr. Tanya Pagan, Senior Medical Officer, HRSA, Larry Lustberg, Esq., NJRC Board, Rachat Chatha, Esq., NJRC Counsel, Steve Nislick, Thomas Allen, NJRC, and others.

What: Forum discussion on the Reentry Services Commission Report addressing barriers, best practices, and action items for improving reentry services.

Where: Abundant Life Church (Fellowship Hall), 78 Neilson St., New Brunswick.

When: 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 4, 2019.      

The 14-member commission, established by the Legislature, developed its report with recommendations to improve the delivery of reentry services to enhance the ability of former offenders to maintain sobriety, healthy living and employment, all keys to successful reentry. The comprehensive report focuses on five major areas: healthcare, addiction treatment, employment, legal services and housing.