Rep. Nellie Pou

House Democrat blasted after early release law freed inmates later charged with murder

In 2020, New Jersey passed a law that allowed some prisoners to leave jail early because of COVID-19. The law was supported by Representative Nellie Pou, a Democrat from New Jersey. More than 7,000 inmates were released early under this rule. Later, some of those released people were charged with murder, which led to criticism of the law and Pou.