Changemaker Project

On Our 2015 Agenda: Human Trafficking

January 2, 2015 The Community Foundation of New Jersey, on behalf of and in partnership with many of its fundholders, has focused on eliminating the scourge of human trafficking from the Garden State and beyond. This month marks the one-year anniversary of our work to stop human trafficking at the 2014 Super Bowl.…

Sandler & Nagel Address CFNJ on Child Welfare Issues

November 19, 2014 This afternoon, CFNJ hosted Kelly Sandler, of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and Eliza Nagel, of the Rutgers Criminal and Youth Justice Clinic at Rutgers Law – Newark, to speak on human trafficking and juvenile justice, respectively. The conversation allowed donors and other interested partners to learn from each other about the best ways to make a positive difference in both areas.…

Why it Matters: Supporting the Rutgers Post-Disposition Advocacy Project

October 20, 2014 Many things fall through the cracks in life, but when it’s a young person, no length is too great to go to find them. Tragically, our state is filled with far too many youth who have fallen through every possible crack in society and now sit incarcerated, some in solitary confinement—“the box”—a five foot by seven foot cell with a metal or plastic bunk, thin foam mattress, toilet, and sink.…

Making a Difference for Incarcerated Youth

October 20, 2014 Young people incarcerated in New Jersey’s juvenile correctional institutions have, historically, been treated as statistics. From being subject to unduly harsh punishments to being denied access to lawyers to advise them of their rights, youth have been forgotten in a system that until recently, was shielded from public scrutiny and, therefore, from accountability.…

Author Argues Against Juvenile Incarceration

June 9, 2014 If it costs $88,000 per year to incarcerate one young person for one year, it’s worth asking the question, “what’s the return on investment?”  The question is one of many author Nell Bernstein asks – and attempts to answer – in her new book, Burning Down the House: The End of Juvenile Prison.…

New York Times: Solitary Confinement Needs to Go

June 9, 2014 The New York Times editorial board this week argues that “solitary confinement […] is especially damaging for children” and solitary policies must change to as to “humaniz[e] juvenile detention.”  Scroll down for the full editorial and be sure to click here for more on what the Community Foundation’s donors are doing to reform New Jersey’s juvenile justice system (and how you can help).…

NJ 101.5: Fewer Crimes Committed by Young Offenders in NJ

April 11, 2014 Fewer crimes are being committed by young offenders in New Jersey.  That’s the headline from our friends at NJ 101.5, who say that, “more kids who commit crimes are being kept in their communities, instead of being locked up in a detention center, and the result has been a significant drop in the number of crimes committed by young offenders.”…

Juvenile Justice: R.T.’s Story

March 20, 2014 The following is a client narrative from the Post-Disposition Advocacy Project (“the Clinic”). For more on this important issue, click here. R.T., age 17, was involved in a fight with another resident at the Juvenile Medium Secure Facility. …