New Parole Proposal Could Keep 10 Percent Of Violators From Jail

NEW JERSEY — Proposed changes to the state's parole system could keep thousands of New Jersey residents from returning to prison on minor violations, officials say.

Gov. Murphy said he would encourage lawmakers to pass legislation that would limit how many people get sent back to prison for technical parole violations — like missing meetings, not checking in with their parole officer, or relapses during recovery.

Advocates say this less-punitive approach will help give people a second chance after they are released — and could save taxpayers millions of dollars every year.

A majority of people (67 percent) get their parole revoked for these technical violations, not new crimes, according to the Office of the Public Defender. And between Oct. 2023 and Oct. 2024, 99 percent of people facing parole revocation were incarcerated — often for months — even on technical violations.

“Right now, roughly 10 percent of our state’s entire prison population consists of people who are being held behind bars for committing a technical parole violation,” Murphy said during his State of the State address in Trenton. “Nobody should lose their freedom because of a technicality.”

On any given day, between 1,000 and 1,200 parolees are in state custody for technical parole violations, according to New Jersey Policy Perspective.

Public Defender Jennifer N. Sellitti said that putting people behind bars for minor violations "does nothing to enhance public safety," and said her office was committed to bringing change to the parole system.

New Jersey's prison population has declined over the past 10 years, with approximately 13,000 people currently in Department of Corrections custody. It costs an average of $74,750 per year to keep someone in prison, while monitoring someone on parole costs about $6,351 per year, the New Jersey Monitor reported last year.

Assemblywoman Shanique Speight (D-Essex) is set to introduce legislation in the coming weeks that would establish graduated penalties for technical violations, as the Monitor reported. Parolees would not be punished for their first two violations. The bill would also expand opportunities for people to shorten their parole through good behavior, the report said.

The new policy would mark "a critical step toward building a more equitable and effective justice system in New Jersey," said the NJPP in a statement.

"By reducing the number of individuals re-incarcerated for technical violations, this policy would address a key driver of unnecessary incarceration, promote stability for individuals reentering their communities, and improve government efficiency by significantly reducing the number of people entering the New Jersey Department of Corrections," said Marleina Ubel, Senior Policy Analyst for NJPP.

Related articles —

• Sending NJ Parole Violators Back To Jail Isn’t Cheap: Report
• NJ Governor Pardons Dozens Of Ex-Inmates: ‘Redemption Is Achievable’