SOMERSET - Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman said public input received today during the first of several hearings held to find ways to help those released from prison avoid returning to crime shows the need for quick legislative action.

The hearing focused on ensuring those who are incarcerated have support from loved ones and families.

The hearing held at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset brought together nearly 100 New Jerseyans, including: academic experts, social service specialists, advocates, prisoners, former inmates, the loved ones and families of those serving time and legislators.
Watson Coleman (D-Mercer) issued the following statement:

"Today's hearing provided invaluable insight into what's necessary to overhaul New Jersey's system to ensure inmates are connected with their families and loved ones, which is integral to them reclaiming their lives after having served time.

"The heartfelt testimony of former prisoners conveyed the harsh realities faced not only by those incarcerated but also by their loved ones and family. The majority of testimony points to the uphill battles fought by former prisoners, their spouses and children as they attempt to put their lives back together from the day of their incarceration and every single day thereafter.
"Facing scarce opportunities, sparse services and an unrelenting system makes it nearly impossible to for individuals who have done their time to overcome past mistakes and avoid returning to a life of crime.

Unfortunately, not only those who have violated the law are punished - 1.5 million children in this nation have a parent who is incarcerated.

"Advocates and experts adeptly framed how unbalanced the scales of justice are for the more than 18,000 inmates released from prison each year. These individuals repay their debt to society by serving time only to return to communities that remain unforgiving to them and their families as they rebuild their lives. The doors for housing, jobs and community opportunities are often closed to individuals who have served time.

"Today's testimony only strengthens my resolve to continue addressing this issue and to focus on the necessity of keeping inmates connected with their families and loved ones. That's key to their recovery and getting their lives back on track.

"We have a moral obligation to keep families unified because inmates do not do their time alone: their children, spouses, parents and loved ones also do the time. We must ensure that families are a critical part of rehabilitation and treatment to ensure the state prison system produces individuals who become productive members of society, not burdens on their families and communities. Doing so will have a critical positive impact on our state's recidivism rates.

"I appreciate the commitment of the more than 100 people who took the time to participate in our first hearing.

"The commitment of my esteemed colleagues who also took part in this hearing helped to raise awareness of the significance of families in the system. I want to thank my colleagues, including Peter J. Barnes, Jr. (D-Middlesex), Upendra Chivukula (D-Somerset), Albert Coutinho (D-Essex), Linda R. Greenstein (D-Middlesex/Mercer), Harvey Smith (D-Hudson) and Grace Spencer (D-Essex).

The next hearing will be held from 3- 8 p.m., Monday, Dec. 8 in Trenton at Shiloh Baptist Church.

TRENTON - Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Lawrence) and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Princeton) are drafting legislation to create quarterly reporting requirements for the Department of Treasury to share information about the State's pension fund management.

"There has been a lot of discussion lately about how our New Jersey pension fund is being managed. The problem is taxpayer money is spread out over many portfolios handled by private money managers and state pension fund managers," said Turner. "We need to know what investors and investments are doing well, so we can get a solid return."

In the past four months, the New Jersey pension fund has lost roughly 20% of its value. It was also reported that certain hedge funds received additional state investments, even though the funds were not doing well. These investments in hedge funds are just one part of the State's "alternative investments," designed to give a larger return but have risks attached.

"Everyone understands that the stock market and overall economy are suffering and no one is expecting large growth in our investments," explained Gusciora. "But the goal should be to reduce our risk so when crashes occur, large amounts of state money are not lost."

The legislators are proposing legislation to require a quarterly report from the Department of Treasury to the Legislature which would breakdown a comparison of gains and losses from private money managers and state pension funds mangers, as well as a breakdown of all investment strategies. This information would be used to determine if the state should discontinue the use of private investors and "alternative investments" and return to traditional investment strategies.

"The State has an obligation to provide the best return possible on its investments, even in tough economic times. By having information available about the benefits and risks of using outside investors and high risk investments, we can help mitigate the dangers and pitfalls," concluded Gusciora.

TRENTON – Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman announced on Monday she will convene hearings throughout New Jersey on how services for inmates and their families can be improved to help released prisoners avoid returning to crime.

Watson Coleman said the “Second Chance Hearings” will hear from experts and citizens on how the state can overhaul programs to prevent recidivism and save taxpayer money.
New Jersey spends $30,000 to $40,000 per year per inmate, about twice as much as the per-pupil cost to educate a child.

“From a fiscal and a social perspective, it makes more sense to focus on keeping people out of jail,” Watson Coleman said.

Coleman said about 18,000 inmates are released from prison annually in New Jersey, often times into communities with limited jobs, housing and social services. The Majority Leader said the hearings will build consensus, understanding and support for more effective policies.

“Once a prisoner has served their time and paid their debt, we cannot shove them aside forever,” Watson Coleman said. “Many individuals who returned to a life of crime did so
because they felt they had no other choice. They would gladly take the opportunity to better their lives, but our system too often makes that impossible.”

The following hearings, all from 3 to 8 p.m., have been scheduled:

· Friday, Nov. 21 at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens at 771 Somerset
St. in Somerset, where the Rev. DeForest "Buster" Soaries, a former secretary of state, is pastor.

· Monday Dec. 8 at Shiloh Baptist Church at 340 Rev. S. Howard Woodson Jr. Way (Calhoun Street) in Trenton.

· Thursday Dec. 11 at the Paul Robeson Campus Center at Rutgers Newark at
350 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Watson Coleman spent about two months preparing for the hearings with a group that
included service providers, advocates and families of ex-offenders, including the New Jersey
Institute for Social Justice, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the American Civil Liberties
Union and about 40 others.

Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer (D-Essex/Union) and Assemblymen Albert Coutinho
(D-Essex/Union) and Joseph Cryan (D-Union) have been instrumental in organizing the
hearings.

“We need to address New Jersey’s lack of a substantive and strategic rehab plan for
exiting prison and the lack of flexibility in the system,” Watson Coleman said. “And it’s
important to remember that services cannot simply start when inmates are released. To give them the best chance at starting the ir lives anew, services must be available – and accessible – fromthe first day a person enters the prison system.”

The hearings will focus on, among other areas, the need for continuing education, literacy
services and trade school and substance abuse treatment programs behind bars, along with
finding ways to provide viable job training, employment and housing after being released.

“In fact, there’s no reason why someone shouldn’t be required to take courses while behind bars as part of their sentence or as a requirement of parole eligibility,” Watson Coleman said. “But a top component in my mind is the role of family. No better support group exists than family, and we should do everything in our power as legislators and policymakers to ensure that family plays a central role in the life of each individual. ”

By John Zogby

Does this 2008 Presidential election represent a realignment that puts Democrats in a commanding position for at least a generation? If we can assume that young voters, who gave Barack Obama their overwhelming support, will continue to vote for Democrats, the answer would seem to be yes.

According to national Election Day exit polls, voters ages 18-29 voted for Obama over Republican John McCain by a 66%-32% margin. Two other groups gave even higher levels of support to Obama: African-Americans at 95% and Latinos at 67%. African-American allegiance to Democrats is long-standing and rock-solid. Loyalty to Democrats among Latinos is growing, but does not have the history of African-American support. Four years ago, they favored Democrat John Kerry, 53%-40%.

Young African-Americans and Latinos were part of the generational wave to Obama. What may be more telling are the votes of white 18- to 29-year-olds, especially in each state. That data is available from the national exit polls for 46 states.

The national numbers show that Obama beat McCain among whites ages 18-29 by 54%-44%. For all white voters, McCain won, 55%-43%. Among each of the other voter are groupings (30-44, 45-64 and 65-plus), McCain's margin averaged 16 points.

If a Democrat can win the white vote in any state, that candidate's chances of taking the state are nearly certain. The national exit polls showed 21 states where Obama won the white 18-29 demographic by at least 10 points. Those states total 284 electoral votes. Among the states where data for that group was not available are Oregon, Washington and Vermont, where one would expect the young white vote for Obama surpassed the 10-point mark. Data was also not available for Washington, DC and its reliable three Democratic Electoral votes.

With those states included, Democrats currently have a hold on young white voters in states with 308 Electoral votes, 38 more than the 270 needed for election. Obama won all of those states, as well as these where he lost a majority of the white 18-29 group: Florida, Virginia and New Mexico. Data was not available for the one other state won by Obama, Colorado.

The obvious question is whether these young whites voted for Obama based on his personality and message, or whether their support is also due to issue and philosophy positions that separate Democrats from Republicans. Also, will new voters over the next 10 years have the same worldview as today's 18- to 29-year-olds?

At Zogby International, we have closely monitored the attitudes of young adults. In my book, The Way We Will Be, I use polling data to show that this First Global generation is more liberal, but not in a strictly orthodox political sense. In the book, I write:

"Are the kids politically 'liberal?' That depends on whose 'liberal agenda' you're talking about. Are they liberal in a dictionary sense - that is, are they broad-minded, free of orthodoxy, willing to think things through on their own, resistant to imposed answers? Absolutely."

Those attitudes made Obama the ideal candidate for our First Globals. A generation so open to diversity and resistant to pat answers was naturally drawn to a man of mixed race who offered hope and practical approaches to solving national and world problems.

However, does that make them Democrats for the rest of their lives? How well Democrats wield power for global betterment is a part of the answer. Will absolute power again corrupt absolutely? Or will Democrats work to achieve that broadly defined liberal agenda embraced by the First Globals? Time will tell.

We can say with some certainty that these First Globals reject the Republicanism practiced by the dominant wing of the GOP, which appears to reject diversity and the new global realities of interdependence and connectedness. Republicans have no choice but to change their beliefs if they have any hope of coaxing First Globals into any new and truly big GOP tent. The same forces that have shaped today's under 30 voters look to be doubling down for the next wave of young adults. It is unlikely that current Republican orthodoxy will look any better to them.

It is always possible that the Obama Administration could fail, or that world events could make even our First Globals turn inward to the GOP due to fear for personal and national survival. Counting on either is not a sound strategy for the Republican Party.

We could see great political upheaval forced by First Globals and those that follow. Will Republicans become a minor party wed to the past and rejected by the coming majority? Will Democrats continue to adapt in practical ways to world problems, or will its own orthodoxy sour tomorrow's mainstream? Will Republicans evolve into the party that moves beyond old ideologies and deals with change with a small-c conservative approach; or will a new political party emerge that fits that description?

John Zogby is President and CEO of Zogby International and the author of The Way We'll Be: The Zogby Report on the Transformation of the American Dream (Random House).

WASHINGTON (AP) - An Associated Press-GfK poll shows that when it comes to the economy, most people are voicing the hope Barack Obama made a touchstone of his presidential campaign.

Seven in 10 people in the survey are voicing confidence that the president-elect will be able to turn the stalling economy around when he takes office in January. Nearly all Democrats and even four in 10 Republicans say so.

Almost as many people also think Obama will be able to push his overall agenda through as well.
Only about one in three want the new president to make broad tax cuts a top priority. Instead, eight in 10 want fixing the economy and creating jobs to be the first order of business.

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement this morning after the Department of Labor released its employment report for October showing a loss of another 240,000 American jobs, bringing the total number of jobs lost this year to 1.2 million, and a 14-year high jobless rate of 6.5 percent:

“Today's announcement that America has lost more than 1 million jobs this year underscores what working families already know: the Congress and the Bush Administration must take swift action to boost the economy, create jobs and help struggling Americans.

“The House has already passed strong economic recovery and job creation legislation in September. Today’s economic news should send a clear signal to Republicans in the Senate and to President Bush that they must join us in an effort leading economists agree is critical.

“We will also continue our dialogue with America’s automakers and the United Auto Workers in the coming weeks to safeguard the interests of American taxpayers, protect hundreds of thousands of workers and retirees, and use cutting-edge technology to transform blue-collar jobs to green collar jobs for generations to come. For our economic and national security, it is essential that we preserve our manufacturing and technology base.

“We can create good-paying jobs here at home, provide relief to struggling families and small businesses, and take action to make America more competitive in the 21st century global economy. It is time for a Main Street Recovery.”

TRENTON - State Sen. Shirley K. Turner announced Thursday she is drafting legislation to ban criminals at psychiatric centers from voting.

"We need to close the loophole that allows serious sex offenders or even murderers to cast votes," said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. "Voting is a sacred privilege for those who uphold the laws of this State and country - not something for serious criminals."

Senator Turner said she has asked the Office of Legislative Services to draft a bill that would close whatever loophole exists in State law that allowed 41 residents of the Ann Klein Forensic Center at Trenton Psychiatric Center to cast absentee ballots in Tuesday's election.

"We should have a clear-cut State law that prohibits criminals from voting, period," Senator Turner said. "We want to enable and encourage everyone with the right to vote to take part in the election process, but that should not include those who have sidestepped prison by gaining access to psychiatric centers."

Published reports cited 41 residents of the Ann Klein facility in Ewing Township as having sent in absentee ballots. Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello said legislation was needed to prevent "incarcerated mass murderers and sex offenders" from voting.

The media accounts said eight of the 41 votes were disallowed because seven were on parole for life and ineligible to vote and the eighth was notorious mass murderer Howard Unruh of Camden. Election law experts say current state statutes allow residents of state facilities to vote if they are sanctioned based on competency reviews on a case-by-case basis.

Washington, D.C – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement Thursday on President-elect Barack Obama selecting Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel as White House Chief of Staff

“The White House’s gain is the House of Representatives’ loss. Rahm will be missed here as Chairman of the Democratic Caucus; he is extraordinarily talented and is one of the most effective Members of Congress.

“Rahm Emanuel knows the policy, he understands the politics, and he loves America – Barack Obama and the nation will be well-served.”

Mercer County Democrats will gather together to watch Election returns Tuesday night at the Marriott Hotel in Trenton, 1 West Lafayette Street. The celebration will be held in the hotel's main ballroom. Doors open about 7:30 p.m.