Gloucester Township Police Program Helps Parolees Reenter Society

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — In much the same way the Gloucester Township Police Department intervenes to help lower level drug offenders through its SAVE program, it helps new parolees get readjusted to life in society.

The police department’s Reentry Program is designed to help parolees who are being released from prison find a job, recover from addiction, and even help them earn their high school diploma if they never completed school, police said this week.

“We work closely with the New Jersey State Parole Board to identify parolees who are Gloucester Township residents, and they receive a letter from the Chief of Police welcoming them to back our community,” police said. “ The Reentry Program provides recent parolees with free resources to help them succeed and reenter as productive members of the community.”

It’s part of the police department’s community policing initiatives. It is similar to the way councilors are positioned in municipal court to help lower level drug offenders find treatment instead of going to jail. That program is now as the SAVE program, which started in Gloucester Township and has become a countywide initiative.

The following is a list of resources that are available to all Gloucester Township residents, and are provided as part of the Reentry Program:

• Gloucester Township Family Resource Center, 1324 Little Gloucester Road, Blackwood. Phone: 856-842-5553 Family and Individual Counseling. SAVE Support Group for family members who have a loved one suffering from addiction.
• CFS Family Connections Family Success Center, 1324 Little Gloucester Rd., Blackwood. Phone: 856-979-3836 www.centerffs.org/family-success-center/welcome Free computer/internet access, resume and career counseling, free family dinner nights, youth homework tutoring.
• SAVE Advocate-Drug and Alcohol Counseling Information. Phone: 856-302-7051 Addiction specialist assists people with treatment alternatives.
• Camden County One-Stop Career Center, website: https://www.camdencounty.com/service/employment/one-stop-career-center/
• Domestic Violence Information/Assistance, Phone: 856-227-1234 www.camdencountywomenscenter.org Domestic Violence services for victims and offenders.
• Gloucester Township Library, 15 S. Black Horse Pike, Blackwood. Phone: 856-228-0022 www.camdencountylibrary.org Provides free computer/internet access in addition to other resources.
• GTWheels Sustainable Bike Library, Reagan Building, 508 Lakeland Road, Gloucester Twp., NJ 08012, Phone: 856-374-5195
• Gloucester Township Food Pantry, 123 East Church Street, Blackwood, NJ 08012 Phone: 856-803-3230 or 856-845-9520.