Black adults are more than 12 times more likely to be incarcerated than white adults in New Jersey, according to The Sentencing Project. This event addressed the root causes of these disparities and outlined what intentional efforts can be made to remedy the criminal justice system in the Garden State.
With racial disparities in New Jersey’s criminal justice system among the highest in the nation, a panel of top legal and civil rights advocates, experts, organizations, and prison reform activists came together to host the second installment of the IMAGINE MORE: Racial Justice Begins with Us virtual event series: “Disrupting the Criminal Justice System.”
IMAGINE MORE, led by The Fund for New Jersey, is a first-of-its-kind, six-part virtual series that aims to educate the public on the need for reparations and offer accessible strategies for remedying racial injustice.
“Despite committing most offenses at the same rate, there are 18 Black youth incarcerated for every white youth in New Jersey,” said Kiki Jamieson, president of The Fund for New Jersey. “This is the largest disparity in the nation and it’s even more alarming when you consider that New Jersey’s population is over 70% white.”
IMAGINE MORE launched in February during Black History Month with the first installment focusing on solutions to address New Jersey’s racial wealth gap, which is the highest in the nation. The upcoming events will continue to bring together an influential array of leaders to discuss disparities in housing, education and health care.
“Almost exactly two years after Breonna Taylor’s murder and the 2020 racial reckoning, America has yet to confront the racism in our system of justice that led to the protests that ensued,” said Richard Roper, chair of the Board of Trustees at The Fund for New Jersey. “Countless promises and reforms were pledged by politicians and business leaders to address these inequities, however, many have yet to follow through.”