3. a. The Commissioner of Corrections, in conjunction with the Juvenile Justice Commission and the State Parole Board, shall establish a program to record and analyze the recidivism of all inmates and juveniles adjudicated delinquent who are released from a State correctional facility or a training school for juveniles, whether on parole or upon the completion of their maximum sentences. The purpose of this program shall be to assist in measuring the effectiveness of the State’s reentry initiatives and programs.

b. The program shall record the arrests for all offenses committed by releasees within three years following their release and any convictions resulting from the arrests. These data shall be analyzed to determine whether the rates and nature of rearrests and convictions differ according to the criminal histories and personal characteristics of releasees, the treatment they received while confined, length of sentence, conditions of parole, participation and involvement in reentry initiatives and programs, and such other factors as may be relevant to the purposes of this section, including, but not limited to, race, gender, ethnicity, and age.

c. The commissioner shall prepare and disseminate semi-annual reports summarizing the recidivism rates, patterns, and other findings and analyses resultant of the information gathered pursuant to this section. These reports shall include summaries of the treatment received by the releasees and any participation and involvement in reentry initiatives by the releasees, and shall make recommendations concerning the effectiveness of the treatment programs and reentry initiatives. These reports shall be available to the general public and shall not contain any personally identifying information. To facilitate the accessibility of these reports to the general public, the commissioner shall, to the greatest extent possible, utilize the Internet.

d. The commissioner shall annually prepare and transmit to the Governor and the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C. 52:14-19.1), a summary of the recommendations set forth in the reports prepared pursuant to subsection c. of this section, along with any recommendations the department, Juvenile Justice Commission or the State Parole Board may have for legislation to improve the effectiveness of the State’s reentry initiatives and programs.

L.2009, c.329, s.3; amended 2015, c.144, s.1.