AMERICANALMANAC (Lynn Jenkins) - Rep. Nellie Pou's COVID-era prison release law freed over 7,000 inmates — at least three later linked to killings
A New Jersey congresswoman who championed early prison releases during COVID now faces sharp criticism after inmates freed under her law were charged with or convicted of murder, and her campaign has declined to address the program's record directly. Rep. Nellie Pou, a Democrat representing a northern New Jersey district and a member of the […] The post Rep. Nellie Pou's COVID-era prison release law freed over 7,000 inmates — at least three later linked to killings appeared first on American Almanac .
A New Jersey congresswoman who championed early prison releases during COVID now faces sharp criticism after inmates freed under her law were charged with or convicted of murder, and her campaign has declined to address the program's record directly. Rep. Nellie Pou, a Democrat representing a northern New Jersey district and a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, sponsored the legislation while serving as a state senator. Then-Gov. Phil Murphy signed it in November 2020 over objections from Republican lawmakers and some county prosecutors, who warned at the time that releasing violent offenders early could endanger public safety. More than 7,000 inmates walked out of New Jersey's prison system under the program, which granted…Open