Sen. Booker Hosts Forum on Criminal Justice Reform in Camden as part of #JerseyRoadTrip

CAMDEN, NJ – As part of his ongoing efforts to reform our nation’s broken criminal justice system, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) hosted a forum yesterday with the City of Camden to discuss mass incarceration, the criminal justice system and its impacts on communities across the state. Sen. Booker was joined by U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, Camden County Chief of Police Scott Thomson, and the Reverend William N. Heard at Kaighn Avenue Baptist Church in the forum moderated by CBS Philadelphia reporter Alexandria Hoff. 

Yesterday’s event marked the end of the second day of Sen. Booker’s Jersey Summer Road Trip highlighting the senator’s commitment to New Jersey priorities.  Earlier yesterday, Sen. Booker also visited Federal Correctional Institution Fairton in Cumberland County to tour the facility and speak with inmates in the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), Vocational Training program, and Segregated Housing sections of the prison. 

“Yesterday’s gathering was a testament to the broad and diverse coalition that has formed around the need to address our broken criminal justice system,” said Sen. Booker. “Leaders from across the political, religious and ideological spectrums have developed a shared understanding that our broken justice system is an affront on our national values and a misrepresentation of our national priorities.  Our broken justice system has fractured our communities, disproportionately undermined communities of color, wasted taxpayer dollars and hasn’t made the public or our law enforcement any safer. Yesterday’s forum has left me more committed than ever to seeing comprehensive criminal justice reform legislation passed in the Senate this fall.”

“I commend Senator Booker for his efforts to advocate for a reform and take a look at the long-term impacts the criminal justice system has within a community,” said Mayor Redd. “It’s so important that we engage communities and take advantage of this opportunity to discuss a system that affects so many.  Not only are the lives of victims and their families forever changed but also those convicted of a crime.  This open forum allows us to reexamine these issues and look at ways to improve the system at all levels.”

“Human contact and engagement with the community is a critical aspect to our job on the streets of every neighborhood in Camden,” said Chief Thomson. “Empowering residents is a foundational principle for our organization and ensuring each child, family and individual is greeted and treated with respect is paramount to achieving our goals as a law enforcement agency.”   

"We believe that the processes of spiritual formation and human transformation are the foundations for the development of the mind, body, and soul. It is from this framework that we join in hosting this forum with Senator Cory Booker who lends his vision, passion, and diligent work to the areas of justice reform,” said Rev. Heard. "Addressing the sundry realities surrounding social justice and justice reform involve not only the criminal justice system, but also include familial and psychosocial concerns, the educational system, legislative entities, business and political involvement, and the work and resources of the community of faith in a concerted collaborative effort to meet the multifaceted needs of congregants and the greater community."

Since arriving in the Senate in 2013, Sen. Booker has worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle on reforms that address all aspects of the American criminal justice system. From working on legislation to reduce recidivism and address juvenile solitary confinement, to addressing the school to prison pipeline, to fixing federal sentencing laws for non-violent offenders and addressing the national indigent defense crisis, Sen. Booker has been a leader in the U.S. Senate in reforming our nation’s criminal justice system. 

In 2015, Sen. Booker joined a bipartisan group of senators in introducing comprehensive legislation aimed at recalibrating prison sentences for certain drug offenders, targeting violent criminals, and granting judges greater discretion at sentencing for lower-level drug crimes. The package also seeks to curb recidivism by helping prisoners successfully re-enter society. In October 2015, the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 was passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

Earlier this year,  the bipartisan bill was updated and received the support of 37 Senators. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act enjoys support from over 400 groups and organizations, including a diverse array of civil rights, faith and law enforcement organizations, as well as groups from across the political spectrum.

Sen. Booker has spoken out on the Senate floor repeatedly on the need to reform our broken justice system, most recently in July of this year.

Sen. Booker’s 2016 Jersey Summer Road Trip, which began on August 3rd and concludes on August 10th, will focus on his efforts to stand up for New Jersey’s veterans, protect the long-term growth and viability of New Jersey’s military bases, reform our nation’s broken criminal justice system, boost investments in technology and innovation, strengthen local businesses and create jobs, and ensure our coastline is more resilient following Hurricane Sandy’s devastation.