Overview of the Intensive Supervision Program in New Jersey

Clients often ask the attorneys at theWolf Law about New Jersey’s Intensive Supervision Program (“ISP”). ISP allows certain defendants who have been sentenced to prison and who have already served a minimum amount of jail time to be released before they are eligible for parole.

An individual is eligible for ISP if they have been convicted and sentenced to state prison. Individuals who have been convicted of certain crimes, however, are not eligible for ISP. Those crimes include: homicide (including vehicle homicide), robbery, and sex offenses. Additionally, those convicted of first-degree offenses are ineligible for ISP.

You should retain an experienced attorney to help you apply ISP. A three-member Screening Board will first screen your application and then recommend or deny ISP placement to the Re-sentencing Panel. You will receive a rejection letter if the Screening Board denies your application.

If you are recommended for ISP, you must present a plan and demonstrate that your return to the community will result in positive social adjustment and will not jeopardize the public’s safety. You must explain your plans for living, employment, and treatment if you are released from incarceration. Additionally, you must identify individuals in the community who will support you if you are released into the general population. The Resentencing Panel, which consists of a panel of judges, has the final say in whether or not to accept you into ISP. If you are accepted, you will be released from prison.

As its name implies, ISP is “intense.” You must strictly comply with all of the program’s requirements, which can include, among others: curfew requirements, drug or alcohol testing, community service requirements, and employment requirements.

The attorneys at theWolf Law have experience assisting individuals successfully apply for ISP. Contact one of our attorneys today at (732) 741-4448 to determine whether you are eligible for ISP and, if so, for help applying for the program.