What communities are most effected by returning prisoners in New Jersey?
The vast majority (95 percent) of those released from a New Jersey prison will return to communities in New Jersey. Almost one-third (31 percent) will return to two counties in the state, Essex and Camden. Essex and Camden counties present specific challenges to successful prisoner reentry, especially with regard to finding or preparing oneself for employment and supporting oneself financially. The residents of Essex and Camden counties face many economic and social disadvantages compared to many other parts of the state. According to the 2000 Census, one-quarter of Newark’s families and one-third of Camden’s families lived in poverty. High concentrations of returning prisoners to a single community generate incredible costs to those communities, including costs associated with crime and public safety, greater public health risks, and high rates of unemployment and homelessness.
