New Jersey State Senator Christopher "Kip" Bateman (R-Somerset/Morris), a member of both the Senate's Judiciary and Law and Public Safety Committees, has endorsed legislation ending New Jersey's early release program which makes some prisoners who have passed their parole date and have less than six months on their sentences eligible to be released and called for a floor vote on legislation repealing the law at the next Senate Voting Session on April 28th.
Governor Corzine signed the law allowing early release in the final hours of his term as Governor.
"I voted against this law last year and I support its immediate repeal today. The program does crippling damage in the public's faith that government is doing all it can to protect them from violent offenders, " Bateman stated.
Bateman noted two news reports on recent homicides that have been linked to prisoners freed under the early release law as evidence that the program is dangerous and must be ended.
"There should be no headlong rush to release inmates before they have completed their sentences, " Bateman continued, "It makes a mockery of our judicial system by saying we are tough on crime and then letting prisoners out before they have served the time to which they have been lawfully sentenced. We need to end this egregious law, before any more citizens are put unnecessarily at risk."
The next voting session of the New Jersey Senate is scheduled for April 28th. "I have asked the Senate President to list for a vote on that date the Governor's conditional veto of S-2308, which includes a repeal of the early release law," Bateman said.
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