McGreevey: 5 services ex-cons need to return to society

The New Jersey Reentry Corporation is working to bring former offenders released from incarceration back into society. The nonprofit agency opened their ninth New Jersey office in New Brunswick on Tuesday.

NJRC chairman, former Gov. Jim McGreevey, says they accomplish this reentry of former offenders with five basic services.

"One is addiction treatment. Two is the importance of housing. Three is employment and training. Four is legal services. And fifth is healthcare. If we can help people maintain their sobriety, help people have responsible housing, we can help them get to a job and begin to be responsible citizens," he said.

"We have a network of 73 lawyers throughout the state of New Jersey that help formerly incarcerated persons to clean up the wreckage of their past life, in terms of outstanding warrants or issues, so that they can drive and go to work without fear of being pulled over."

McGreevey says participants receive individual assessments and treatment plans that address their own personal essential needs.

"Our mission is to make sure to help people who want to get their lives together," he said.

"What we do is enable people to have a healthy second chance. For many of our guys, they do not have the training, they do not have the background, they do not have the identification. And think how hard it is, in this day and age, in 2018, to get a job or an apartment if you do not have an ID. That is a big part of our legal services team. So you get an ID, you get a license, so that you can be a working member of society."

McGreevey says the NJRC spends an average of $2,200 dollars per inmate. It costs $55,000 to keep someone incarcerated in New Jersey for one year.

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