Aims to Reduce Disparities Within Criminal Justice System
(TRENTON) – Legislation sponsored by Assembly Democrats Benjie Wimberly, Jamel Holley, Cleopatra Tucker, Shavonda Sumter and Annette Quijano to encourage lawmakers to consider the impact proposed legislation would have on racial and ethnic minorities has been signed into law.
“The disparity between the number of minorities in the general population and the number of minorities in the prison population is a civil rights issue that warrants far more attention,” said Wimberly (D-Bergen/Passaic). “In a state where black people are 15 percent of the general population but 60 percent of the prison population – a statistic largely due to a failed and misguided war on drugs – we have a responsibility to give closer scrutiny to how the policies the state enacts affect racial and ethnic minorities.”
The measure (A-3677) requires bills and regulations affecting sentencing to include a racial and ethnic community criminal justice and public impact statement. Similar to fiscal impact statements that summarize how legislation may affect taxpayers and environmental impact statements that summarize how legislation may affect the environment, the racial and ethnic community criminal justice and public impact statements would outline how policies may affect the state’s minority populations. The measure requires racial and ethnic community criminal justice and public impact statements to be prepared for bills, resolutions or amendments that may result in an increase or a decrease in the state’s adult and juvenile pretrial detention, sentencing, probation or parole populations.
Criminal justice policies, while ostensibly neutral, often adversely affect minority communities, the sponsors noted. The law reflects their belief that it would be more judicious to consider the implications of policies in a racial and ethnic context prior to voting than to enact and then work to reverse laws that have a damaging effect on minorities.
“Racial and ethnic bias – both implicit and explicit – has destroyed communities of color throughout history, and it continues to do so today,” said Holley (D-Union). “In a country where we hold liberty paramount, New Jersey must be more conscientious as we take steps to reform a criminal justice system that perpetuates inequality and makes social mobility difficult for men and women who often already struggle to get by.”
“If someone doesn’t have personal experience or a constituent base that may be affected to inform his or her thoughts about legislation, that person may not even realize its potential to do harm,” said Tucker (D-Essex). “A racial and ethnic impact statement can offer some perspective regarding how a bill that sounds good in theory may do damage in practice.”
“Part of the process of reforming the criminal justice system overall is first acknowledging the injustices that exist and then taking active steps toward fairness,” said Sumter (D-Bergen/Passaic). “Racial and ethnic impact statements will allow lawmakers in New Jersey to make more informed decisions about legislation.”
“Certain statutes, like the Rockefeller drug laws, for example, have had multi-generational detrimental effects on communities of color. To avoid repeating these negative outcomes, public policy formation must include assessments of legislation’s potential racial and ethnic impact,” said Quijano (D-Union). “Just like lawmakers discuss the potential fiscal or environmental impact of a bill, they also ought to evaluate measures through a social justice lens.”
Under the law, the Legislative Services Commission would direct the Office of Legislative Services to prepare a racial and ethnic community criminal justice and public impact statement for each proposed criminal justice bill, resolution or amendment that would affect adult and juvenile pretrial detention, sentencing, probation or parole policies prior to any vote being taken in either house of the legislature.
Prior to adoption, amendment or appeal of any rule, except as may be otherwise provided, the agency will give at least 30 days’ notice of its intended action; distribute a public notice on the agency website, in the register and issue a statement; provide all interested parties an opportunity to submit, orally or written, data, views, comments or arguments; and, lastly, make available to the public these submissions through publication on the agency’s website.