Bill Text: NJ S1831 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes "Blue Ribbon Panel to Review New Jersey's Inmate Policy."
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-09-30 - Substituted by A2469 (1R) [S1831 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-S1831-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator SANDRA B. CUNNINGHAM
District 31 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes "Blue Ribbon Panel to Review New Jersey's Inmate Policy."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing the "Blue Ribbon Panel to Review New Jersey's Inmate Policy" and repealing section 11 of P.L.2009, c.329.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. (New section) a. There is hereby established the "Blue Ribbon Panel to Review New Jersey's Inmate Policy."
(1) The panel shall be comprised of six members who are residents of this State and who shall have served as judges, prosecutors or public defenders, but are not currently serving as judges, prosecutors, or public defenders. The members of the panel shall be appointed by the Governor, without regard to the appointees' political affiliations, and shall serve during the existence of the panel. Vacancies shall be filled by the Governor. The members shall be subject to removal by the Governor at any time for good and sufficient cause.
(2) The panel shall organize as soon as possible after the appointment of its members. The members shall elect one of the members to serve as chair and vice-chair and the chair may appoint a secretary, who need not be a member of the panel.
(3) The members of the panel shall serve without compensation, but shall be eligible for reimbursement for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the commission for its purposes.
(4) The panel shall be entitled to accept the assistance and services of such employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as may be made available to it and to employ such legal, stenographic, technical, and clerical assistance and incur such expenses as may be necessary in order to perform its duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to it for its purposes.
b. It shall be the duty of the panel to comprehensively review and analyze data on the characteristics of the inmate population in this State's correctional facilities. These characteristics shall include, but not be limited to age, infirmity, ethnicity, gender, health treatment and mental health treatment received, offense committed, race, participation in educational and vocational programs, term of incarceration, and any other characteristic identified by the panel. Data may be obtained from any source deemed appropriate by the panel, including the Department of Corrections, the State Parole Board, or any other State department, board, bureau, commission, or agency, or any other governmental or nongovernmental entity.
c. The panel shall report any legislative or other recommendations concerning correctional policy based on the review and analysis of the inmate population data pursuant to subsection b. of this section to the Legislature and the Governor within two years of the date of appointment of its members. The panel shall expire after its report is issued.
2. Section 11 of P.L.2009, c.329 (C.30:4-123.96) is repealed.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would establish a six-member panel known as the "Blue Ribbon Panel to Review New Jersey's Inmate Policy." The panel would consist of former judges, prosecutors, or public defenders as appointed by the Governor.
The panel is charged with comprehensively reviewing and analyzing data on the characteristics of the inmate population in this State's correctional facilities. The bill provides that these characteristics shall include but not be limited to age, infirmity, ethnicity, gender, health treatment and mental health treatment received, offense committed, race, participation in educational and vocational programs, term of incarceration, and any other characteristic identified by the panel. The panel is authorized to obtain the data from various sources, such as the Department of Corrections, the State Parole Board, or other State department, or from any other governmental or nongovernmental entity.
The panel is required to report to the Legislature and the Governor within two years of the date of appointment of its members any legislative or other recommendations concerning correctional policy based on the review and analysis of the inmate population data. The panel is to expire after it issues its report.
This bill would repeal section 11 of P.L.2009, c.329, which created a "Blue Ribbon Panel for Review of Long-Term Prisoners' Parole Eligibility" in the State Parole Board. That panel was charged with considering if prisoners who had been incarcerated and served more than 20 years of their sentences should be eligible for parole, and with submitting any recommendations for parole to the appropriate parole board panel.
