Mayor Ras J. Baraka, U.S. Senator Cory A. Booker, U.S. Representative Donald M. Payne, Jr., Rutgers University – Newark School of Criminal Justice Dr. Rod Brunson, and City of Newark Office of Reentry Director Fred Murphy will announce a $1 million federal Department of Justice “Second Chance” grant to aid re-entering offenders at the greatest risk of being victims or perpetrators of an act of homicide, at a press conference on Thursday, November 10, at 10:30 a.m., at the Rutgers Law School, located at 123 Washington Street, in downtown Newark.

The three-year non-traditional program is a partnership of the City of Newark and Rutgers University – Newark School of Criminal Justice. The Newark Reentry Initiative (NRI) will use data and evidence-based strategies to develop a model that will target those individuals who have recently returned home from incarceration and are at the highest risk for being involved in a homicide. In addition to decreasing recidivism, this program will positively impact violent crime in the City of Newark.