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Abstract: 

In this issue of JCC, we have assembled four articles covering a number of current issues that are being discussed, and in some cases debated, in the field of community corrections. In addition, our book review editor has contributed reviews of recently released books about mental health and about dealing with misdemeanors in the justice system. In “The Impact of Community Corrections in New Jersey,” Kevin McHugh, Executive Director of the Reentry Coalition of New Jersey, has provided us with a study involving the impact of community corrections on the reduction of prison populations, incarceration costs, and recidivism. His report makes a strong case for the benefits of community-based services. In “Reflecting on Rehabilitation,” Amy Sheppard, a practicing social worker at a nonprofit organization working with women involved in the criminal justice system, and a Ph.D. candidate in the Faculty of Sociology at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, provides an informative and intriguing reflection on rehabilitation from a practitioner’s point of view. There is considerable interest in the use of electronic monitoring (EM) as an alternative to incarceration and, at the same time, a debate about how it is implemented and whether it contributes to enabling the individual user in his or her desistance from criminal activity. In ““A Brief History of Neoliberal Justice,” Mike Nellis, Emeritus Professor of Criminal and Community Justice in the School of Law, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, reviews the policy environment in England and Wales concerning the introduction of EM and asks why an opportunity to use EM intelligently was missed. His article is informative for both policymakers and practitioners who are responsible for the implementation of EM as an aid to reducing prison use and creating an environment that fosters desistance. A major obstacle facing ex-offenders returning to the community is the issue of financial debt resulting from legal obligations imposed by way of fines and fees. Dr. Patricia McKernan, Chief Operating Officer for Volunteers of America Delaware Valley, has produced an informative article, “Wanted on Warrants,” about the consequences of the role this form of sanction poses for reentry success. She concludes her article with both general recommendations as well as more specific suggestions for the State of New Jersey. In the Worth Reading section, JCC’s book review editor Russ Immarigeon draws our attention to some significant scholarly offerings related to community corrections. Of special interest are reviews of five books about managing the large misdemeanor system, which tends to foster inequality. This discussion relates to and reinforces the arguments made in the article by Pat McKernan.

Keywords: Community Corrections in New Jersey; Rehabilitation; Electronic Monitoring in the U.K. and Scotland; Reforming the Warrant System; Misdemeanor Offenses

Affiliations:  1: Journal Editor.