Whos leaving prison?
Most are male (91 percent), single (83 percent) and black (63 percent). The average age of an offender leaving state prison is 34. At least half of the inmates have minority children. The average reading level of the returning offender is the 6th grade, the average math level is the 5th grade. Two thirds have no GED or High School Diploma. They have spent an average of 2.5 years behind bars. The population has a myriad of complex issues, ranging from severe drug addition and mental illness to poor employment skills and extensive histories of criminal behavior and lengthy incarceration. About a third have been diagnosed with at least one chronic and/or communicable physical or mental health condition, not including substance abuse. More than 60 percent of New Jersey inmates were identified as having moderate to severe drug and alcohol addictions.
