West Windsor, NJ: Giving non-violent offenders the opportunity to clear their criminal records will be the topic of discussion with two New Jersey experts addressing the topic as part of the Mercer County Community College (MCCC) Distinguished Lecture Series.

James T. Plousis, chairman of the New Jersey Parole Board, and Lisa A. Puglisi, Esq., governor’s coordinator for prison re-entry, will discuss the "Fugitive Safe Surrender" program from noon to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 7, in Room 107 of the Communications Building at MCCC’s West Windsor Campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Both speakers are co-chairs of the Governor’s Task Force for Recidivism, established by Gov. Chris Christie November 2011. The Fugitive Safe Surrender Program has been held at various sites throughout New Jersey, assisting in the re-entry process by individuals wanted for non-violent crimes, such as family matters, child support, and disorderly person offenses. While not an amnesty program, Safe Surrender does offer favorable consideration from the court – often in the form of reduced fines or probation instead of incarceration.

Plousis is a graduate of Slippery Rock University and the Rutgers University Public Manager Program. In 2002, President George W. Bush nominated him for the position of United States Marshal for the District of New Jersey. He has coordinated two of the largest Fugitive Safe Surrender programs in the nation, in Newark and Camden, where more than 6,300 fugitives surrendered safely at local churches.

Puglisi holds a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers College and a juris doctor degree from Widner University School of Law. She was the chief of the Legal Unit at the New Jersey Parole Board, and served as Deputy Attorney General in the state Department of Law and Public Safety. She has argued numerous cases concerning corrections and parole matters before the New Jersey Supreme Court.

For more information on MCCC’s Distinguished Lecture Series, call 609-570-3324 or click here.