The focus of this year's forum is "Principles and Programs of Re-entry."  The program will include witness offered by those whose lives and families have been affected by the prison system, and a panel discussion with five or six formerly incarcerated individuals who can speak of their transition back into mainstream society, of which Stacey will be a part.  She will also be joined on the panel by her husband, John. 

 

The panel will be moderated by Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, the Majority Leader of the New Jersey Assembly, and a steadfast advocate of prison reforms.
 

"Re-entry" is one of the most commonly used terms for men and women prisoners' reintroduction into the community after the terms of their incarceration have been met. The focus of the re-entry program is to educate the community in the concrete steps required to ease the former prisoners' transition: the acquisition of identification such as driver's licenses; reestablishing voting rights; gaining employment; obtaining reliable transportation; and finding a place to live.

"There should be no punishment without justice," stated Father Robert R. Schulze, director of the Office of Jail and Prison Ministry, who spearheads the program for the Trenton Diocese. "We should bring people back to a sense of healing."

Though a number of prisoners enjoy the assistance of supportive family members, many others are less fortunate, and often struggle to become productive members of the society they left years before. Prison ministry departments in the five dioceses of New Jersey unite to advocate for better prison conditions and are a collective voice in legislative issues such as the abolition of the death penalty.

Father Schulze is passionate about the diocesan mission to assist former prisoners upon their release; his department personnel and volunteers speak to parishes and Catholic high schools to acquaint audiences with the individuals behind the label of "prisoner".

"As many of us in prison ministry have long understood, no one is the equivalent of his or her worst actions. We have to get beyond the labels to see the person underneath," Father Schulze remarked.

A priest since 1969, Schulze is a 30-year veteran of the prison ministry vocation, having served at facilities in Michigan, New York, Washington, D.C., and the federal prison at Fort Dix. "We should make people more aware of prisons and prisoners; they are the great unknown," maintained Father Schulze. "With our help and leadership, we can give people an idea of what is going on, or what isn't, in getting these people reestablished in society."

No pre-registration is required for this free program. A light lunch will be served. For further information, contact Father Robert R. Schulze, director of the Office of Jail and Prison Ministry, at (609) 406-7400, ext. 5655 or email rschul@dioceseoftrenton.org.