Marleina Ubel

Marleina Ubel, Senior Policy Analyst, researches the criminal legal system with a focus on alternatives to policing that center restorative justice. Previously, Marleina was NJPP’s 2020-2021 Kathleen Crotty Fellow where she analyzed the state budget process and researched public spending on state and local law enforcement. Marleina began her undergraduate work at Valencia College and earned a transfer scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she earned a B.A. in Philosophy. As a PIKSI fellow, she spent a summer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology challenging demographic disparities in institutions of higher learning. In 2021, she earned her M.S.W. in Management and Policy at Rutgers University and served as an Eagleton Fellow in the New Jersey Assembly Majority Office. Marleina lives in Lambertville with her husband and daughter.

New Internal Affairs Dashboard is a Historic Step Towards Police Transparency

September 7, 2022 • Public Safety
New dashboard on police internal affairs investigations compiles information that was only accessible through hundreds of different agencies.

Reevaluation of Fines and Fees in the Criminal Legal System is Essential to Reducing Wealth Inequality

August 18, 2022 • Economic Justice, Public Safety
Testimony from NJPP Policy Analyst Marleina Ubel during The Wealth Disparity Task Force’s Criminal Justice Working Group listening session.

Affordable for Some: What’s Included and Missing in New Jersey’s FY 2023 Budget

June 30, 2022 • Tax and Budget
The new state budget creates a Child Tax Credit, but other programs to support working families didn’t make it in.

Racial Impact Statements Are Essential When Changing Criminal Justice Policy to Advance Racial Justice

June 13, 2022 • Public Safety
Testimony from NJPP Policy Analyst Marleina Ubel, urging the Office of Legislative Services to produce a racial impact statement for S513.

New Jersey Could Do More to Expand Reentry Services

June 13, 2022 • Public Safety
New Jersey's FY 2023 budget fails to invest in robust reentry services, non-police crisis response, or directly in communities most harmed by the pandemic.

Local Government Should Not Be Funded With Fines and Fees

May 9, 2022 • Economic Justice, Public Safety
Testimony by NJPP Policy Analyst Marleina Ubel in opposition of using law enforcement fines and fees to fund government services.

Legislation Undermining the Criminal Justice Reform Act Would Harm Communities of Color

March 21, 2022 • Public Safety
Testimony by NJPP Policy Analyst Marleina Ubel opposing presumptive pretrial detention for Graves offenses.

Breaking Down Governor Murphy’s FY 2023 Budget Proposal

March 17, 2022 • Tax and Budget
State lawmakers have a big opportunity to make New Jersey affordable for all thanks to stronger than expected tax collections.

Revenue from Cannabis Legalization Should Go Toward Strengthening Communities Harmed by the Drug War

March 2, 2022 • Economic Justice, Tax and Budget
Testimony from Policy Analyst Marleina Ubel recommending how revenue from the cannabis Social Equity Excise Fee should be spent.

Police in New Jersey Earn More Than Twice as Much as Social Service Workers

February 9, 2022 • Public Safety
To truly promote public safety, New Jersey must reassess how investments are made, recognizing that public safety depends on more than police officers.