Senator Ed Durr said it’s crazy that Governor Phil Murphy calls him “dangerous” while the Murphy administration is releasing even more prisoners from jail amid surging crime in many New Jersey communities.

Sen. Ed Durr said it’s crazy that Gov. Phil Murphy calls him ‘dangerous’ while the Murphy administration is releasing even more prisoners from jail amid surging crime in many New Jersey communities. (Flickr)

“Governor Murphy clearly doesn’t see the irony of calling me ‘dangerous’ when he let criminals out of jail who killed people shortly after he set them free,” said Durr (R-3). “Those tragedies weren’t enough to convince the governor that his early release program was dangerous for New Jersey. He doubled down by setting hundreds more inmates free yesterday. It’s absolutely crazy.”

Governor Murphy released 260 inmates from state prisons yesterday under a COVID-19 early release program.

This latest release comes after 40% of the state prison population was set free into New Jersey communities under the Murphy administration’s early release policy in 2020 and 2021.

As Senator Anthony M. Bucco (R-25) noted yesterday, one of the inmates Murphy released early was charged with killing two people at a birthday party, while another was charged with killing someone within a half-mile of his prison just two days after being set free.

The prisoner releases also followed Governor Murphy’s executive order to fire prison guards if they don’t get vaccinated, and efforts by the Murphy administration to restrict the gun rights of law-abiding citizens who are concerned about public safety as thousands of prisoners have been released into New Jersey communities.

“Governor Murphy is attacking the rights of corrections officers and law-abiding New Jerseyans while flooding our streets with convicts,” said Durr. “It’s Governor Murphy who is dangerous for New Jersey. Our safe streets, Governor Murphy must Give It Back.”

Senate Republicans launched the “Give It Back” initiative to give New Jerseyans an opportunity to tell Governor Phil Murphy in a unified voice to give back everything he has taken from them over the past two years, including emergency powers, vaccine choice, and safe streets.

More than 4,000 New Jerseyans have already told Governor Murphy to “Give It Back” at http://www.giveitback.us.