Criminal Justice Reform Task Force Chair: Tom Moran (Morristown UU Fellowship) Claudia Sanders (UU Congregation at Montclair) Contact: criminaljustice@uufaithaction.org
As Unitarian Universalist, we believe the American criminal justice system is one that uses mechanisms of racial and social control that conflict with our UU principles, including: justice, equity and compassion in human relations; the inherent worth and dignity of every person; and the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all.
The racial dimension of mass incarceration is its most striking feature. Here in New Jersey, Black people make up approximately 15% of the population, yet 59% of the prison population. White people make up only 22% of the prison population.
At the annual UU FaithAction New Jersey Issues Conference, the Criminal Justice Reform task force identifies key areas of focus. We then work with other organizations and coalitions around the state to advocate for laws and regulations that hold the promise of impacting the forces that fuel incarceration and that create inhumane conditions within our corrections facilities.
Click on the links for each of the priorities below to learn more about the issues, our coalition partners, related legislation, and to find other resources, including our “fact sheets” (position papers):
- Reform of policing in New Jersey
- Ending life sentences for older incarcerated individuals
- Working with allied organizations and the Department of Corrections Ombudsperson to make NJ prisons more humane. These efforts include monitoring the implementation of the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act (ICRA) and a campaign to make prison phone calls free.
- Abolishing Slavery – supporting Concurrent Resolutions to amend the state’s Constitution to prohibit slavery or involuntary servitude.