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Former Gov Jim McGreevy, in the midst of what he calls ‘recalibrating an understanding of what reentry is’ for those leaving prison, brought together a packed room inside St Stephen AME Zion Church on Springwood Avenue filled with social service representatives, pastors, area municipal, county and state officials Tuesday to honor Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden.

Through his NJ ReEntry Corporation, McGreevy is working to stay recidivism by providing social service and employment avenues for those rebuilding their lives following periods of incarceration.

“We spend $2 billion in New Jersey on prisons,” McGreevey said. “This is about using all the resources; making government work by yielding results for the benefit of the citizenry.”

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He said the program is about providing second chances so as to not keep people incarcerated in perpetuity but to help them become productive members of society.

“We are in a county that is one of the wealthiest in the country, some would say,” said Freeholder Director Tom Arnone, who was joined in attendance by the full county board. “All five of us were mayors that governed a town so we know the struggles local communities face.”

Arnone spoke of recognizing the initiative’s importance during an August conference call with Sen Vin Gopal, McGreevy and Golden to discuss the program’s launch in neighboring Neptune City.

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“This is an incredible program,” Gopal said. “We all have a dedication because this is not about politics, this is about making our community stronger.”

Led by Brian McGillivray, the local reentry program provides a network of medical, addiction and mental health avenues for those in need.

“Sometimes its more complicated than I ever envisioned,” McGreevy said. “You have to stabilize the client.”

In less than a year, Golden said has screened 776 potential program clients; 347 who have accepted addiction services and 122 who have been referred to the reentry program.

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“When we first sat in the office in Neptune with barely any furniture, we didn’t think success was right around the corner,” Golden said. “You can see by this village here today how everyone has come together.”

The Monmouth County jail, the only nationally accredited facility in the state, has graduated hundreds through its GED program, Golden said.

Program testimonials came from Rob Carter, Tracey Hodges, Vicky Smith, Murray Whitfield, and Roosevelt Parker:

“Asbury Park is ground zero for me,” said Carter who has been clean for 12 years. “I’m lucky that I made it out; a lof of my friends I ran with aren’t around anymore or they are in prison.”

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Hodges spoke of being in and out of recovery, saying the program has had a ‘profound impact on her life. Now clean for 90 days, she said the ReEntry Corp helped her obtain a driver’s license, job, self-respect, and confidence. While she is working at a fast food restaurant she will interview next week to become a home health aide.

Smith, a former federal law enforcement agent said she left work due to health issues and then found herself on the other side of the law. While she has no license or vehicle, she said she found a team of understanding individuals who had a wealth of information willing to help.

Whitfield, who was convicted in 1984, said he served 32 years of a 45-year sentence. He took college courses while he was incarcerated and no has a job.

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“Life is a journey, not a destination,” he said. “And while I fully take responsibility for what I did, I was 19 years old and did not understand the long term effects it would have on my life. It cost them $50,000 a year to keep in in prison; half of that would have sent me to college if someone  would have taken the time to tell me my life mattered.”

Parker, who found himself at the Jersey Shore Rescue Mission [on Memorial Drive] after leaving prison in October, the road to stability remains rocky.

“I never heard anything about a reentry program,” he said. “When I learned about it, I rode my bike over to the Neptune office. I immediately felt welcomed.”

And while he went through the courses and obtained a job in Freehold, he was recently locked out of his room at a local boarding house.

“It kinda hurt,” he said. “I have never slept on the streets and I wasn’t about to sleep on the streets.”

Parker said he found help from a local law enforcement officer and is now back at the local mission, hoping to find a permanent home by month’s end.

Headquartered in Kearny, the NJ ReEntry Corporation had nine locations across the state. The Monmouth County branch is located at 72 Morris Avenue, 2nd Floor, in Neptune City. For more information, call 848.217.7455 or visit njreentry.org.

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