|
NEWARK
– Fugitives hiding from the law in New
Jersey will soon have the opportunity to surrender
safely at a neutral location, take responsibility
for their crimes and receive favorable consideration
from the court.
The
initiative, called Fugitive Safe Surrender,
will operate from Wednesday, November
4 through Saturday, November 7 at Bethany
Baptist Church, 275 W. Market Street, Newark,
NJ, 07103. Individuals will be able to turn
themselves in at the church from 9 am to 4
pm throughout the four days. Their
cases will be adjudicated at temporary courtrooms
in the nearby Priory building.
U.S.
Marshal James Plousis and New Jersey Attorney
General Anne Milgram said Fugitive Safe Surrender
represents an unprecedented, multi-agency
collaboration in Essex and Union counties.
An estimated 3,000 fugitives are expected
to turn themselves in. (A total of 2,245 turned
themselves in at New Jersey’s first
Fugitive Safe Surrender, held November 2008
in Camden). The event is made possible through
a partnership led by the U.S. Marshals Service
and Office of the Attorney General, and more
than 50 agencies and organizations at the
Federal, State, county, municipal, community-based
and faith-based levels.
Plousis
and Milgram today joined Essex County Prosecutor
Paula T. Dow, Union County Prosecutor Theodore
J. Romankow, the Rev. Dr. M. William Howard
Jr. and Deacon Edward Cosby of Bethany Baptist
Church, and other leaders to announce the
launch of this important initiative.
“Fugitive
Safe Surrender is not an amnesty program,
but there will be favorable consideration
for individuals who turn themselves in and
accept responsibility for their crimes,”
Attorney General Anne Milgram said. “Those
with no history of violence who are wanted
for a non-violent offense and who do not have
extensive criminal records are likely to be
processed and released the same day they surrender,
and take the first step toward community re-entry.”
“Fugitive
apprehensions are among the most dangerous
missions for any law enforcement agency,”
U.S. Marshal James Plousis said. “There
is always the risk that police officers or
the fugitives themselves will be injured or
killed. By surrendering safely, thousands
of fugitives will free themselves and their
families from that risk. They will also save
untold taxpayer dollars, and free up law enforcement
and the courts to take on other matters.”
“We
are opening our church to those who have committed
crimes because we believe they deserve a second
chance to stop living in hiding and start
building productive lives,” Deacon Edward
Cosby said. “We also believe the road
to a second chance includes taking responsibility
for what one has done. If you are living in
hiding, come in and take advantage of this
opportunity to get your life back on track.”
Fugitive
Safe Surrender is open to US citizens or legal
residents who are wanted for non-violent felony
or misdemeanor warrants in New Jersey, and
who have no prior history of violence. Such
individuals will be able to meet with a public
defender, and with county and municipal court
officials, to reenter the court system.
“November
4th through 7th is a perfect window of opportunity
for fugitives to take responsibility for their
prior crimes,” said Essex County Prosecutor
Paula T. Dow. “Fugitives should take
advantage of this limited occasion by safely
surrendering and in return face leniency from
the justice system.”
Union
County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow said
there are no doubt hundreds of people who
lose sleep each night because they know they
are wanted. “Taking advantage of this
program could mean a clear mind and a fresh
start,” he said.
“The
mission of parole, especially under Governor
Corzine’s crime plan, is to hold ex-offenders
accountable, and help them become law abiding
citizens,” State Parole Board Chairman
Yolette C. Ross said. “The State Parole
Board is proud to have helped bring Fugitive
Safe Surrender to Camden last year and to
Newark this year. By helping fugitives reenter
the mainstream of society, Fugitive Safe Surrender
helps make communities safer.”
“New
Community Corporation is pleased to participate
in the Fugitive Safe Surrender Program by
offering St. Joseph Plaza, our headquarters,
as the official judicial processing site for
those who turn themselves in to authorities,”
said Joseph Matara, chief operating officer
for New Community. “Our organization
has a long history in the city of providing
comprehensive services in areas including
housing, job training, social services, health
and education. Along with these issues, public
safety and the criminal justice system also
affect an inordinate percentage of the people
we serve. For this reason, New Community Corporation
fully supports and commends the effort to
provide a vehicle for those wishing to take
full responsibility for their actions, thus
not only helping to improve their own lives
but the community at large.”
Representatives
of local social services agencies will also
be present at Fugitive Safe Surrender, to
give the former fugitives information on local
services such as employment assistance, health
care, housing and drug rehabilitation.
The
US Marshals Service’s Fugitive Safe
Surrender program was launched in Cleveland
in 2005. Since then, 20,812 fugitives have
surrendered and had their cases resolved in
15 cities. (Numbers are not yet available
for the 16th initiative, held in Chester,
Pennsylvania from Sept. 30 through Oct. 3,
2009).
Public
service announcements created free of charge
to advertise this Fugitive Safe Surrender
initiative can be found at:
Fugitive
Safe Surrender is made possible with help
from more than 50 agencies and organizations
at the Federal, State, county, municipal,
community-based and faith-based levels. Listed
below are the partner agencies and organizations
as of 10/5/09:
- United
States Marshals Service
- New
Jersey Office of the Attorney General
- The
Police Institute – Rutgers Newark,
School of Criminal Justice
- Bethany
Baptist Church, Newark, NJ
- Bethel
Outreach Ministries, Newark, NJ
- Center
for Urban Education (CUE), Newark, NJ
- Churches
In Cooperation (CIC), Newark, NJ
- City
of East Orange
- City
of Newark
- City
of Orange
- City
of Plainfield
- Clinton
Hill Weed and Seed / Drug-Free Communities,
Newark, NJ
- East
Orange Weed and Seed
- Elmwood
Presbyterian Church, East Orange, NJ
- Essex
County Department of Citizen Services
- Essex
County Parole Task Force
- Essex
County Prosecutor’s Office
- Essex
County Sheriff’s Office
- Faith
Christian Center, Newark, NJ
- Happy
Hands Foundation, Inc., East Orange, NJ
- Integrity
House, Newark, NJ
- Irvington
Neighborhood Improvement Corporation
- Irvington
Weed and Seed
- Leopard
Films, New York, NY
- Mercy
House and Straight Street Prison Ministry,
East Orange
- New
Community Corporation – The Priory
Restaurant, Newark, NJ
- New
Jersey Department of Corrections
- New
Jersey Office of the Public Defender
- New
Jersey State Parole Board
- New
Jersey State Police
- Newark
Municipal Council, Office of the Council
President
- Newark
Municipal Court
- Newark
Now, Newark, NJ
- Newark
Office of Reentry
- Newark
Police Department
- Newark
Police Department – Chaplain’s
Association
- Newark
Reentry Legal Services (ReLeSe), Newark,
NJ
- The
Nicholson Foundation, Newark, NJ
- Offender
Aid and Restoration of Essex County, Inc.,
Irvington, NJ
- Paterson
Department of Community Development, Neighborhood
Assistance Office
- Project
Drive, Inc., Newark
- The
Salvation Army, New Jersey Division
- Superior
Court of New Jersey, Essex Vicinage
- Superior
Court of New Jersey, Union Vicinage
- Township
of Irvington
- Township
of Union
- Union
County Human Services – Workforce
Development Operations
- Union
County Prosecutor’s Office
- Union
County Sheriff’s Office
- University
of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
(UMDNJ) Department of Public Safety
- Waris
Cultural Center, Irvington, NJ
###
|
