Senate Health Committee Advances Legislation to Require Hospitals and Health Care Providers to Offer Testing to Certain High-Risk Patients TRENTON…
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TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Raymond J. Lesniak and Sandra Bolden Cunningham which will expand employment opportunities for certain ex-offenders in order to aid in their reentry into society was signed into law yesterday.
“If we’re serious about giving ex-offenders an opportunity to reclaim their lives from the cycle of crime and incarceration, then we have to recognize that the inability to find employment is one of the biggest factors contributing to the high recidivism rate in this State and around the country,” said Senator Lesniak, D-Union. “If you’ve paid your debt to society, there is simply no reason why you should be banned from working in an establishment where alcohol is served. This law will create meaningful job opportunities for people trying to do the right thing and become productive members of society.”
“The only thing that has been accomplished by the prohibition from employment at venues where alcohol is served is that you have a number of ex-offenders who can’t find work, and many of whom will turn back to a life of crime,” said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson. “We want to give people the chance to truly reform themselves, and that means that they need access to employment. I’m glad we’re finally addressing one of the root causes of recidivism – lack of employment – rather than stick to the relics of tough-on-crime policies which simply did not work.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Raymond J. Lesniak and Sandra Bolden Cunningham which would expand employment opportunities for certain ex-offenders in order to aid in their reentry into society was approved by the Assembly today by a vote of 70-7, receiving final legislative approval.
“Any attempt to create a fairer justice system – one in which drug offenders are directed to treatment, rather than incarceration – is meaningless if, after the offender completes the treatment program, they can’t find a job,” said Senator Lesniak, D-Union. “If you’ve paid your debt to society, I see no reason why you should be barred from working anywhere that alcohol is served. This is about creating meaningful employment opportunities for people trying to pick up the pieces of their lives.”
“The prohibition against employment at venues where alcohol is served is a relic of our tough-on-crime policies which have done little to reduce recidivism,” said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson. “If we’re serious about giving people the opportunity to actually reform, we should break down the barriers to employment for ex-offenders. This is about real access to opportunity for ex-offenders to put their criminal past behind them.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Raymond J. Lesniak and Sandra Bolden Cunningham which would expand employment opportunities for certain ex-offenders in order to aid in their reentry into society was approved by the Senate yesterday by a vote of 36-0.
“The current law which prohibits ex-offenders from working wherever alcohol is served creates an unfair job market for ex-offenders and perpetuates a cycle of crime for people who cannot find work,” said Senator Lesniak, D-Union. “It’s time to rid ourselves of this relic of the past that puts people at a disadvantage when they’re trying to put past mistakes behind them, get a decent job and become productive members of society. This bill promotes a smarter approach to criminal justice in New Jersey, and recognizes that our best tool to prevent criminal recidivism is access to employment.”
“If a person is willing to work hard and do a good job, it shouldn’t matter whether or not they’ve got a criminal record,” said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson. “However, under the current law, ex-offenders cannot work anywhere where liquor is served – even in a non-server capacity. Our bill would create more job opportunities for ex-offenders, so that they aren’t put in a position where a life of crime seems like the only viable option.”
TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Raymond J. Lesniak and Sandra Bolden Cunningham which would expand employment opportunities for certain ex-offenders in order to aid in their reentry into society was unanimously approved by the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee today.
“The current law prohibiting ex-offenders from working in establishments where alcohol is served is a relic to a different era, and unfairly prohibits many ex-offenders from finding work, even in a non-server capacity,” said Senator Lesniak, D-Union. “If we’re serious about giving people a chance to put their mistakes behind them and become productive members of society, we have to take a serious look at unfair laws which perpetuate the lack of opportunity which pushed many people into committing a crime in the first place. This bill is about being smarter about how we treat ex-offenders, in order to reduce recidivism and allow people to make a life for themselves after they’ve paid their debt to society.”
“The prohibition against ex-offenders working where liquor is served is overkill, particularly when you consider that such a prohibition automatically assumes that access to alcohol is the prime factor contributing to many people adopting a life of crime,” said Senator Cunningham, D-Hudson. “If a person is willing to work and does a good job, it shouldn’t matter whether or not they have a criminal record. This bill would create more opportunities for employment for ex-offenders, so they can successfully reenter society and put their past misdeeds where they belong – in the past.”