newjerseynewsroom.com

Acts after parolees charged with murders in Jersey City and Camden

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Declaring he is attempting to protect the public safety of New Jerseyans, Gov. Chris Christie Wednesday vetoed legislation related to the state’s early parole program and restored the state Parole Board’s discretion in deciding who is paroled.

The governor, who wants to abolish mandatory early parole, vetoed legislation that would have made a convict wait 10 years rather than three for a mandatory parole review. He said the legislation does not address the fundamental problems that have stem from statutorily-mandated parole review, including the impact on crime victims and their families and the failure to consider inmates’ rehabilitative progress in granting a parole review.

Christie said the early release program, enacted during the final days of the Corzine administration, overturned 30 years of successful practice of the Parole Board utilizing its own discretion, experience, and judgment in parole consideration.

In his veto message on bill S-2308, Christie wrote, “For more than thirty years, the Parole Board relied on its institutional experience and reasoned discretion to determine when inmates would be considered for parole. This common-sense standard balanced the administrative needs of the corrections system with the rehabilitative goals of incarceration, and allowed the Parole Board to devote its limited resources to consideration of appropriate cases.

“While I commend the sponsors for their attempt to provide relief to the victims of crimes through this amendment, this approach does not provide sufficient reform,” the governor write. “Requiring automatic parole hearings at any interval not set by the state Parole Board, and not based on the board’s judgment of the facts of each offender’s case, perpetuates a system that values bureaucracy over rehabilitation at the expense of innocent victims.”

Christie said that by removing the Parole Board’s discretion to determine an inmate’s suitable for parole, it strips away the board’s authority to deal with perhaps the most sensitive and personalized determination in our criminal justice system: whether a person has earned the right to rejoin society before the conclusion of his court-ordered sentence.

The conditional veto restores the Parole Board’s authority to make these decisions.

The conditional veto also makes additional changes to state law, providing for the full repeal of the mandatory early release provisions.

Christie cited the effect of the mandatory early release in endangering public safety through the release of prisoners who have either been denied parole or opted to avoid parole supervision entirely by “maxing out” their sentences. He said the danger of the early release program to the public is real and has been tragically demonstrated with the murders of two men, one in Jersey City, the other in Camden, allegedly by two parolees released through the early release program.

“Whatever original policy or principle motivated passage of this law, it failed to adequately consider the safety of the public,” Christie said. “In recent months we have seen the horrific consequences of the early release law, which is why we must not wait any longer to take action and change it.”

Christie’s action quickly earned the praise of Sen. Diane Allen (R- Burlington), a prime sponsor of legislation to repeal the mandatory early release law, and Assemblyman Bob Schroeder (R-Bergen.)

"The governor's action provides an additional path to repeal New Jersey's early release law, and I am pleased that he has put his full support behind this effort,” Allen said. “With two homicides already committed by inmates released under the program, repealing this misguided policy should be priority number one for the Legislature. A growing chorus of law enforcement professionals has joined my call for ending New Jersey's early release program because it is a threat to public safety, and I encourage Legislative leaders to join our cause by scheduling a vote on repeal at the earliest possible date."

“Governor Christie’s conditional veto of early release legislation sends a strong message that New Jersey’s priorities remain with victims and public safety, not criminals,” Schroeder said. “Recent events have tragically demonstrated the danger of having weakened parole laws. They should be stronger before another life is lost. We need to make sure that crime victims are not re-victimized by these mandates for frequent parole board hearings.”

Schroeder and Assemblymen Dave Rible (R-Monmouth) have announced they plan to introduce legislation to eliminate the early release program.

Early release is publicly opposed by the Burlington County Sheriff, the Camden County Prosecutor, and three unions representing New Jersey Corrections Officers: the New Jersey Law Enforcement Supervisors Association, the New Jersey Superior Officers Association and the New Jersey Law Enforcement Commanding Officers Association.