Cumberland County invests in second chances. By Jo Valenti, BSN, RN, Cumberland County Mental Health Advocate
Project ReDirect stands as one of Cumberland County’s most forward‑thinking approaches to criminal justice reform, demonstrating how communities can reduce recidivism by investing in people rather than punishment alone. At its core, Project ReDirect recognizes a simple but powerful truth: Lasting public safety is built not only through accountability, but through opportunity, support, and genuine second chances. Project ReDirect will offer a new pathway across all four municipal courts in Cumberland County for defendants and those being released from the county jail with diagnosed mental health challenges.
For years, traditional prosecution has struggled to address the underlying issues that lead individuals into the criminal justice system—mental health disorders, substance use, unstable housing, unemployment, untreated trauma, and lack of access to appropriate care. Project ReDirect offers a structured alternative. Instead of moving individuals directly through the court process, it connects them to evidence‑based services designed to help stabilize their lives, strengthen decision‑making, and build sustainable paths forward. Participants commit to individualized plans that may include counseling and rehabilitative programs. In return, successful completion can result in dismissal of charges, allowing individuals to move ahead without the heavy burden of a conviction.
Project ReDirect is funded through a federal Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Justice Mental Health Collaborative grant in the amount of $550,000, obtained by the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office. This office is the programmatic, administrative, and fiscal lead on this effort and has sub-contracted with the Cumberland County Guidance Center (CCGC) as the lead mental health service provider, which is providing the required $241,827 match. The program anticipates serving nearly 150 individuals annually.
In addition to the municipal court diversion effort, the program also includes a robust county jail re-entry component. CCGC partners with the Cumberland County jail to assess and create treatment plans for the eventual release of incarcerated individuals with mental health needs. The jail’s contracted medical provider does an initial assessment and refers appropriate incarcerated individuals to CCGC two months prior to release. The jail’s re-entry and social services staff can also refer individuals to Project ReDirect. Also, incarcerated individuals can request to be referred to and meet with CCGC to see if the reentry effort is good fit for them.
CCGC then meets with potential participants to conduct a more formal assessment and begin to create a treatment plan prior to release. After a Project ReDirect participant is released from the jail, they will receive re-entry case management services to assist them in receiving treatment and other vital social services like housing, benefits, employment, and whatever other needs arise. In this way we hope to prevent recidivism—and more importantly, to help create healthy, more productive community members. Everyone benefits from the treatment and support of those dealing with mental health issues.
“A far too familiar response to untreated mental illness has been criminal charges, repeated stays at the county jail, and prosecution,” says Prosecutor Jennifer Webb McRae. “Far too often, the county jail has been the place where people access mental health treatment and become stabilized. Project ReDirect is a program that will focus on helping people remain stabilized as they transition from the jail back into the community. It is our hope that creating a friendly, easy-to-access pathway to continued treatment will prevent recidivism and create safer communities.”
Importantly, Project ReDirect does not excuse harmful behavior. It addresses it with a more effective and compassionate strategy—one that recognizes that consequences alone do not change lives, but support combined with responsibility often does. Every success story emerging from the program represents not just an individual transformed, but a ripple of positive change for families, workplaces, and the broader community.
When those individual successes are multiplied across the community, the impact extends far beyond any one participant—it strengthens families, reduces repeated involvement with the justice system, and contributes to safer, healthier communities.
The program’s impact goes beyond numbers—though the reduction in recidivism is significant. It reshapes the relationship between the justice system and the community. Prosecutors, the jail, service providers, and participants collaborate toward a shared goal—healthier residents and safer neighborhoods. This collaborative model fosters trust, improves outcomes, and reflects a modern vision of justice and corrections, one that sees humanity alongside accountability.
As communities everywhere grapple with rising social challenges, Project ReDirect serves as a powerful example of what innovative justice reform can look like. By focusing on rehabilitation instead of retribution, Cumberland County is not only reducing repeat offenses but also investing in a stronger and more resilient future. Project Redirect proves that when the justice system becomes a bridge toward stability instead of a revolving door, everyone benefits.
For more about Project ReDirect, contact Yolanda Broughton, Community Justice specialist, Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office at 856-453-0486, ext. 11164 , or yolandabr@CumberlandCountyNJ.gov; or contact Kevin Guinan, project manager, Municipal Court Diversion, also at the Prosecutor’s Office at 856-593-7936 or Kevin Guinan KevinGu@CumberlandCountyNJ.gov.
