Lift the Felony Drug Ban

Under New Jersey's implementation of welfare reform, the Work First program, individuals convicted of drug-related offenses are subject to a lifetime ineligibility from receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), General Assistance (GA), and Food Stamps. While there is some relief for those who have completed or are enrolled in a licensed residential treatment program (those with sales convictions can get food stamps, and those with possession convictions only can get both benefits and food stamps), access to treatment, both inside and outside prison, is limited. The ban has a substantial effect on returning individuals with drugs convictions and their families by cutting them off from basic transitional economic support at the point when they are most vulnerable. Federal law allows states to opt out of the ban and twelve states, including New York, have done so. Opting out of the ban would allow New Jersey to use this temporary assistance to stabilize individuals and their families when the risk of recidivism is greatest.