President Barack Obama traveled to New Jersey on Monday where he outlined his platform for criminal justice reform along with new efforts to help rehabilitate former prisoners into becoming productive members of society.

During his trip to The Garden State, the president spent time in Newark with Mayor Ras Baraka and former Newark mayor and current New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. His first stop in Newark was at the Integrity House, a residential halfway house and drug-treatment facility that aims to help reintegrate ex-addicts and convicts into society.

"It's a model for the good work that is being done sporadically around the nation," Obama said at the center, according to NJ.com. "We look forward to seeing more success."

Later, Obama went to Rutgers University-Newark where he participated in a roundtable discussion on incarceration and recidivism with former prisoners. During the talk, Obama announced several initiatives, including work-training programs and $8 million in new grants to support educational opportunities for formerly incarcerated people once they are released from prison.

The president went on to talk about his support for the "ban the box" campaign, which seeks to change the hiring process so that ex-cons are no longer required to include their criminal history on a job application.

"The problem we're trying to solve is not just to keep on catching people and putting them back in jail. The problem we're trying to solve here is giving people a foundation through which they can then become productive citizens," Obama said, reports The Wall Street Journal.

NJ Gov. Chris Christie acknowledged Obama's trip to his home state, telling reporters in Camden Monday, "I think it's wonderful for the president to come to New Jersey and acknowledge the work that has been done in New Jersey, by leaders of New Jersey," reports NJ.com.

After participating in several events around Jersey, the president departed from Newark Liberty International Airport Monday night at 10:20 p.m. via Air Force One.