THUNDER BAY – Crimebeat – Newark Mayor Cory Booker is proving to be a leader in a number of areas. One of those areas is getting people who are coming out of jail into the community as positive contributing members of society. The innovative thinking is working. Newark’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative seeks to serve over 1,340 people over 2 years with job readiness training, mentoring, case management and employment placement.
In the US, nearly 2/3 of prisoners released annually will be re-incarcerated within 3 years. The City of Newark’s Office of Reentry has achieved an incredible recidivism rate of less than 10%. In addition, out of the 60% of ex-offenders who receive jobs through the program, 75% of them keep of keep them for 6 months of more.
This kind of innovation, means that instead of generating a system of a revolving door prison system, with all the related costs, added policing, and added court time, those former prisoners become intergrated members of society.
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