More Than 800 New Jersey Prison Inmates Released Under COVID-19 Pandemic Law

Hundreds of inmates in New Jersey prisons were released early over the weekend under a law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 852 prisoners were granted early release as part of the “Public Health Emergency Credits” law enacted in October 2020. Under the law, credits are awarded to certain inmates and parolees during a public health emergency. Specifically, the credits are awarded to inmates who are within 365 days of their scheduled release and are accrued at “the rate of 122 days (four months) for each month, or portion of each month, served during the declared emergency with a maximum of 244 days (eight months) of remission to be awarded for any declared emergency period.” The legislation contains certain provisions, including one which states that inmates or parolees or not allowed to contact their victims upon their release. It also does not apply to inmates who have been convicted of …  » Read full article