New Jersey Community and Corrections Working Summit 2025
Twenty years ago, Black and Latino leaders and key criminal justice stakeholders launched the NJ Community & Corrections Working Summit, setting the stage for ongoing efforts to address and reform mass incarceration of people of color in New Jersey.
Landscape of the Movement
Over the last twenty years after the first summit in 2003, New Jersey has achieved major criminal justice reforms, including Police Licensing, Mental Health Teams, Use of Force Directives, no-cost Public Defender services, Sentencing Reforms, Cannabis legalization, Bail Reform, and Isolated Confinement laws. COVID-19 legislation released nearly 5,000 individuals, and over 83,000 citizens regained voting rights. These reforms have reduced crime rates and showcase community action's impact.
Summit Goal
The 2025 NJ Community & Corrections Working Summit will unite advocates, state and community leaders, decision-makers, and incarcerated and justice-impacted voices to address racial disparities in the criminal justice system and create an action plan of reforms and transparency. Through this action, we will create a report detailing our plan for reforms over the next 2o years.
Working Summit 2025 Planning Team
Cuqui Rivera - Planning Committee Chair
Latino Action Network
Salvation & Social Justice
New Jersey Department of Corrections
American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey
Latino Action Network Foundation
Returning Citizens Support Group
State Parole Board
Office of the Attorney General
Juvenile Justice Commission
New Jersey Policy Perspective
American Friends Service Committee
Ombudsman's Office of the New Jersey Department of Corrections
United Black Agenda
Universal Unitarians Ministries (UU)
New Jersey Public Defender's Office
Puerto Rican Action Board
Johanna Foster, Monmouth University (Academic Exchange in Prison Project)
Rich Rivera, Police Reform Consultant
Rebecca Mohr, LANF intern
Samuel Quiles, LANF Fellow & Returning Citizen