New program in Camden County, New Jersey, aims to help people transition back into society after jail
Camden County officials Thursday celebrated the opening of a new reentry release center designed to help people leaving jail reconnect with housing, treatment and employment resources as they return to the community.
The facility sits next to the Camden County Correctional Facility and will serve people being released from custody, providing support meant to reduce the chances they will return to jail.
County leaders said the center is intended to address common barriers faced by people leaving incarceration — including lack of identification, housing or access to treatment.
"When people return home without identification, without access to treatment, without a place to stay, or someone to help them navigate their way through life's challenges, they're most likely to return back to this facility," Jonathan Young, a Camden County commissioner, said.
The new reentry release center will offer housing assistance, employment support, identification services and connections to substance use treatment programs.
Louis Capelli Jr., director of the Camden County Commissioners, said many people in the jail system need medical and behavioral health support rather than incarceration.
"Most of the folks who are incarcerated here really are folks who should be patients," Capelli said. "They should be receiving care for substance abuse disorder, care for mental health issues."
Inside the newly renovated center are several amenities meant to help people transition back into daily life, including a kitchen, private bathrooms and showers, laundry machines, and common areas. Inspirational books and artwork line the walls.
Officials say reducing recidivism — when people return to jail after release — is the program's main goal. Sharon Bean said staff often see the same people cycle through the jail repeatedly.
"You hear from staff all the time, 'Oh, we'll see this person back in two weeks,'" Bean said. "After hearing that as the jail population manager, it's disheartening."
County officials say the jail population has dropped significantly in recent years — down about 60% over the past decade — but they hope the new center will help continue that progress by connecting people with services before they leave custody.
Antonne Henshaw, the founder of Transformative Justice Initiative who previously spent time in jail, said the program can help change the trajectory for people returning home.
"They may come in the back door, but they're going out the front door to a new transition and new transformation opportunities," Henshaw said.
Officials said the reentry release center is expected to be fully operational March 16.