A just society isn’t one that merely isolates and punishes its offenders, according to Ed Martone of the New Jersey Association on Correction. “The challenge is how best to achieve social justice,” says Martone. He speaks on “Healing Crime Victims, Restoring Communities, Repairing Offenders” at Princeton United Methodist Church located at Nassau and Vandeventer, on Sunday, December 9, at 8 a.m.
Martone will refer to Michele Alexander’s book The New Jim Crow, which is the focus for various congregations in Princeton, including the Contemporary Issues class at PUMC. He will present criminal justice policy reforms pending in the New Jersey Legislature and discuss how to realize their implementation. “A caring community (and one that intends to preserve itself) strives to fix what is broken — in this case, the victim, the offender, and the general public itself,” says Martone.
Martone is NJAC’s director of public education and policy and director of the New Jerseyans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. A graduate of FairleighDickinson University, he is the former executive director of the NJ American Civil Liberties Unionand was the former Mayor of North Arlington, N.J. (Bergen County). Martone served on the Corrections Transition Teams for both Governors Corzine and McGreevey. He is presently the prisoner/community representative on the Princeton University Institutional Review Board.
Though the breakfast is sponsored by the United Methodist Men, everyone is welcome; a $5 donation is suggested. Reservations are requested before Friday, December 7; call 609-924-2613 or email umm@princetonumc.org.     

Says Martone: “A caring community (and one that intends to preserve itself) strives to fix what is broken — in this case, the victim, the offender, and the general public itself.”