The mission of the Second Chance Campaign of New Jersey is to achieve the safe and successful reintegration of adults and juveniles returning home from incarceration by promoting policies that remove barriers to productive citizenship. The Campaign agenda includes measures that will improve the safety and security of New Jersey's families and communities, save state and municipal dollars, and promote racial equity.

Americans of all political perspectives believe that crime and punishment must go hand in hand, but they want to see a prison door that isn't a revolving door. An ever increasing number of families have seen sons and daughters, cousins, spouses, childhood friends, and others return home with the intention of becoming productive members of the community, only to find the barriers to getting a job, paying down debts, finishing their education, getting stable housing, and supporting their families insurmountable. Their failure is costly, not only for their families and the towns and cities in which they live, but for the state as a whole.

The Second Chance Campaign is committed to the agenda first laid out by the New Jersey Reentry Roundtable, which brought together a broad range of stakeholders and experts to analyze what we know about prisoner reentry in New Jersey and make policy and practice recommendations to address the issue comprehensively. As presented by Roundtable Co-Chairs John Farmer, Jr.and Stanley Van Ness, the Roundtable's final report, Coming Home for Good, lays out the core principles that should guide New Jersey's reentry strategy, including:

1. Begin reentry preparation at entry.
2. Manage the transition back home.
3. Remove unnecessary barriers to reentry success.
4. Support neighborhoods and families.