JERSEY CITY, N.J. – March 25, 2026 – As it has for several consecutive years, Saint Peter’s University once again hosted the New Jersey Reentry Corporation’s annual conference. The topic of this year’s conference, which took place on April 2, was “Trauma and Healing: Brain Science, Human Dignity, and Justice.”
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill was brought to the stage by former Governor James McGreevey to kick-off the general session. Governor Sherrill’s welcome speech noted that, during her time in the prosecutor’s office, she helped launch New Jersey’s first federal reentry court. The Governor mentioned how this program has now become part of the Attorney General’s office; while it still prosecutes crimes, it also offers programs to those incarcerated citizens so they can continue to “thrive in New Jersey upon their release…too many times we’ve incarnerated without plans for release”. In connection with the annual conference this year, Governor Sherrill also designated April 2026 as “Second Chance Month” in New Jersey.
Following an invocation by Cardinal Joseph Tobin, various panel discussions were convened. Discussions and Q&A sessions on trauma, brain recovery, and seeing others deeply were led by noted conference attendees such as Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor (who delivered the keynote address), author David Brooks, Dr. Ije Akunyili, and four former NJ Governors (Christie, Kean, Corzine, and DiFrancesco), among many other luminaries in the field.
Since 2014, NJRC has served more than 31,000 individuals returning from incarceration, addiction treatment, and military service, securing over 14,000 jobs and connecting nearly 14,000 people to addiction treatment.
