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Commissioner
Devon Brown
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Every man and woman who is part of the New Jersey Department
of Corrections family should take great pride in the fact
that ours was the first state correctional entity in the
nation to have launched a crime prevention campaign. Our
message is simple and straightforward: Be smart. Choose
freedom.
This campaign has served as a national model that our fellow
corrections professionals throughout the United States have
taken steps to emulate.
With the fear of crime prevalent among our citizens coexisting
with a political climate of decreased tolerance for those
who commit criminal offenses, our decision to embark on
an anti-crime initiative primarily directed at young people
and their families seemed especially timely. Due to the
vast number of people now under correctional control, penal
systems have assumed increased presence as social institutions,
so much so that prisons have inadvertently begun to impact
and shape American culture. As a result, corrections has,
and will continue to have, a powerful, yet covert influence
on our values and way of life unless the rate of incarceration
drastically declines. Consider the style of dress (i.e.,
pants hanging well below
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the waist and clothing styles that are fashioned after "prison
issue"), the alarming lyrics frequently contained in music,
and the increasing glorification of aggressive and, yes, highly
violent, criminal behavior in many of the most popular video games
and movies.
I am of the firm opinion that it is time for correctional professionals
to step forward to share our experiences and concerns. What better
group to speak on the perils of incarceration than correctional
professionals, as we must deal with these tragedies each day,
up close and direct?
A pair of acclaimed programs forms the foundation of our campaign.
Through Project PRIDE (Promoting Responsibility in Drug Education)
and the Gang Awareness Prevention Program (GAPP), offenders share
with young people the choices they made in their own lives - choices
that ultimately landed them in prison.
We enhanced that foundation through a series of public service
announcements (PSAs), created by this department and airing on
television stations in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
The PSAs also are shown in Regal Cinema theaters throughout the
state and can be accessed on the home page of NJDOC Web site (www.state.nj.us/corrections).
The vignettes send the strong message that crime and incarceration
are not acceptable options and that there is nothing "cool"
about a criminal record.
Our campaign also includes the use of posters and billboards
with messages such as "JAIL is the worst four-letter word"
and "Be smart. Choose freedom." Look for these posters
the next time you board a New Jersey Transit or PATH vehicle.
It was gratifying to learn that recent statistics indicate that
New Jersey is one of the few states in which crime figures have
decreased. I'm certain that our anti-crime initiative has contributed
to the decline. In a very real way, our collective efforts are
making New Jersey a safer state.
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