Topic Category: Public Safety

Good morning, Chairwoman Sumter, Vice Chair Verrelli, and distinguished members of the committee. My name is Marleina Ubel, and I am a policy analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP), a nonpartisan think tank focused on advancing economic, social, and racial justice for New Jersey residents.

I am here to express NJPP’s strong support for A1515, which allows municipalities to establish Civilian Complaint Review Boards (CCRBs). We believe that the establishment of these boards is crucial for fostering transparency, fairness, and safety in policing practices, ultimately promoting positive relations between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

And while I appreciate the positive strides this bill takes in enhancing police accountability and am thrilled to see the inclusion of subpoena power and that disciplinary recommendations carry weight, I would like to urge you to consider the following three points:

Statewide Application: A1515 should be enacted as a statewide bill to ensure that all communities across the state benefit from the establishment of CCRBs.

Concurrent Investigatory Power: The 120 day delay included in the bill undermines the goals of this legislation, namely trust, transparency, and accountability. Concurrent investigatory power is necessary to empower CCRBs to initiate and conduct investigations simultaneously with internal affairs units, preventing delays and ensuring a prompt and impartial inquiry into alleged misconduct. Moreover, members of the public are less likely to report complaints to the board if they do not trust that the board has the power to fully investigate their complaint.

And finally, CCRBs should be reflective of the communities they serve. A community-driven approach ensures diverse perspectives, enhances trust, and promotes transparency. The inclusion of community members on CCRBs is fundamental to building bridges between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

I also just want to address the concerns around police recruitment. End of year state trooper counts are expected to be higher than they have been in almost a decade, and New Jersey has almost double the national average of police officers to population. The national average is about two police officers for every thousand people, and in New Jersey we have roughly four police officers for every thousand people.

In conclusion, I strongly urge you to support A1515 and to consider these recommendations. By enacting this legislation with the aforementioned provisions, we can build a more accountable, transparent, and community-oriented law enforcement system in our state. And most importantly, a safer one.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Good morning, Chairman Stack and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

I’m Marleina Ubel from New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP), a nonpartisan think tank focused on advancing economic, social, and racial justice for New Jersey residents.

First, I want to acknowledge that the work you do is challenging. You are pulled in different directions by people who feel passionately about these issues, and I believe that you are all trying to do what you feel is right. When I was in college, I had a professor tell me once, “doing the right thing is easy. It is knowing what the right thing is that is the hard part.” So, today I will share some information to help you determine what the right thing is.

As written, S3346 will essentially turn trespassing into 2nd degree burglary subject to NERA. What that means is, this legislature is asking that someone who enters any place with an accommodation for sleeping without permission, whether or not the place is empty, be sent to prison for 5 to 10 years, have to serve at least 85% of their sentence before they are even eligible for parole, and have an additional mandatory period of supervision tacked on. Make no mistake, this will create a new mandatory minimum, even if those words do not appear in the bill. It will also make that person essentially ineligible for other programming, such as diversion programs for juveniles or recovery court for individuals who use drugs.

Given that research has shown that property crime like burglary is tied to economic circumstances, this bill will target some of the most vulnerable New Jerseyans and make them ineligible for services that might actually reduce the chances for reoffense. Thus, this bill will have unintended consequences and increase the chances that people reoffend by making support services — the kind that actually address root causes of crime — out of reach. This bill will also adversely affect juveniles, because a 2nd degree NERA offense makes it more likely that they are tried in an adult court even if their record is clean.

Lengthy sentences do not serve as deterrents or address root causes, and they do not reduce crime. In fact, research has shown that increased and continuous exposure to the penal system increases recidivism and exacerbates the circumstances that lead to criminal activity in the first place, things like, employment and educational opportunities, economic stability, relationships with community members and family – all of these things are ripped away from people when they are sent to prison. In this case, ripped away from someone who is likely vulnerable and nonviolent for what could be a decade.

Bills like this are how we got to where we are today, known across the world as the incarceration nation. Please do the right thing and vote no on this bill.

Thank you and happy to take any questions.

Good morning, Chairwoman Greenstein and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

I’m Marleina Ubel from New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP), a nonpartisan think tank focused on advancing economic, social, and racial justice for New Jersey residents.

While the bill is less than ideal and unlikely to actually reduce gun violence, NJPP supports the amendments that have been made to narrow the scope of S513. However, we cannot fully support this legislation without a racial impact statement. Legislation like S513 will likely change the number of people being held in our jails and it is critical that a racial impact statement accompany this bill given that New Jersey has a history of arresting and incarcerating people of color at disproportionate rates. Moreover, it is required by statute that the Office of Legislative Services produce and make publicly available racial impact statements when there is a change in criminal justice policy.

Thank you.