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New Jersey Department of Corrections | |
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Abbreviation | NJDOC |
Motto | Dedication, Honor, Integrity |
Agency overview | |
Employees | 24,000 |
Volunteers | 1,500 [1] |
Annual budget | 1.076 billion (2013) [2] |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction | New Jersey, United States |
Map of New Jersey Department of Corrections's jurisdiction | |
Size | 8,729 square miles (22,610 km2) |
Population | 8.899 million (2013) |
Legal jurisdiction | State of New Jersey |
Governing body | Government of New Jersey |
General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Headquarters | Whittlesey Road Trenton, New Jersey 08625 |
Corrections Officers | 6,000 |
Staff Members | 8,000 |
Agency executive |
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Child agencies |
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Units | Interfacility
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Offices | Public
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Facilities | |
Prisons | 13
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Notables | |
Anniversary |
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Award |
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Website | |
NJDOC |
The New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) is the government agency responsible for operations and management of prison facilities in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The New Jersey Department of Corrections operates 9 correctional facilities, 11 Residential Community Release Programs, and 1 Assessment Center. The department is headquartered in Trenton.
The NJDOC's facilities house a combined total of 20,000 inmates in minimum, medium and maximum security levels. Approximately 1,200 inmates are incarcerated, and an equal number released each month. The median term for inmates is six years. 47% of inmates are serving terms of one-to-five years; 17% are serving terms of six-to-nine years; and 33% are serving maximum sentences of 10 years or more. As of January 2003, 984 offenders were serving life sentences, including 14 offenders under death sentences (all of which have now been commuted, as capital punishment was abolished in 2007).
New Jersey State Correctional Police Officers, [3] Parole Officers and Corrections Investigators are authorized to exercise police officer powers statewide. With this authority, Correctional Police Officers are required to enforce NJRS 2C (New Jersey Criminal Code) within the scope of their employment. [4]
New Jersey State Correctional Police Officers are authorized to carry on duty the Smith & Wesson M&P in 9×19mm Parabellum. Correction Officers may optionally qualify to carry an authorized off-duty firearm. All off-duty firearms and ammunition must conform to the approved list provided by the New Jersey Department of Corrections. [5]
Since the establishment of the New Jersey Department of Corrections, 24 officers have died in the line of duty. [6]
There are four sworn titles (referred to as ranks) in the New Jersey Department of Corrections:
Title | Insignia | Uniform Shirt Color |
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Major | White | |
Lieutenant | French Blue | |
Sergeant | French Blue | |
Officer | French Blue |
The New Jersey Department of Corrections established the "Be Smart Choose Freedom" television advertisement campaign in 2005. The State of New Jersey produced 30–60-second public service announcements to warn state residents against going to prison. [7] The Mississippi Department of Corrections, the state corrections agency of Mississippi, decided to start its own "Be Smart Choose Freedom" campaign and use the commercials that aired in New Jersey. [8] The NJDOC commercials were available in English, with one public service announcement also having a Spanish version. [9]
According to the state budget for fiscal year 2016, the Department of Corrections has capacity to house 20,634 inmates and anticipates a daily average population of 18,894 inmates. It has 6,950 employees for a personnel ratio of 1 person for every 2.8 inmates. The state legislature appropriated $808.4 million to the Department of Corrections in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, of which $525 million was used in salaries and wages. [10]
Prison | Inmate Capacity [10] | Average daily population [10] | Annual per capita cost [10] | Daily per capita cost [10] |
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New Jersey State Prison | 2,022 | 1,796 | $44,408 | $121.33 |
Northern State Prison | 2,918 | 2,567 | $35,497 | $96.99 |
East Jersey State Prison | 1,266 | 1,207 | $49,302 | $134.71 |
Central Reception and Assignment Facility | 969 | 795 | $53,674 | $146.65 |
South Woods State Prison | 3,474 | 3,354 | $34,200 | $93.44 |
Bayside State Prison | 2,237 | 2,175 | $30,648 | $83.74 |
Southern State Correctional Facility | 2,215 | 2,120 | $31,840 | $86.99 |
Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women | 846 | 775 | $65,716 | $179.55 |
Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center | 647 | 561 | $68,494 | $187.14 |
Garden State Youth Correctional Facility | 1,896 | 1,675 | $29,149 | $79.64 |
Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility | 1,053 | 935 | $53,039 | $144.91 |
William H. Fauver Youth Correctional Facility | 1,091 | 934 | $40,425 | $110.45 |
Prior to the 2007 repeal of the death penalty, the death row for men and the execution chamber were in the Capital Sentence Unit (CSU) at the New Jersey State Prison. This unit was first established in 1907. [11] The first death by electrocution occurred on December 11, 1907. [11] On December 17, 2007, Governor Jon Corzine signed a bill passed by the New Jersey General Assembly passed which abolishes the death penalty, making New Jersey the first state to legislatively eliminate capital punishment since 1965. [12] The day prior, December 16, 2007, Governor Corzine commuted the death sentences of the remaining eight men on death row to "life imprisonment without parole". [13]
In criminal justice, particularly in North America, correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by government agencies, and involving the punishment, treatment, and supervision of persons who have been convicted of crimes. These functions commonly include imprisonment, parole, and probation. A typical correctional institution is a prison. A correctional system, also known as a penal system, thus refers to a network of agencies that administer a jurisdiction's prisons, and community-based programs like parole, and probation boards. This system is part of the larger criminal justice system, which additionally includes police, prosecution and courts. Jurisdictions throughout Canada and the US have ministries or departments, respectively, of corrections, correctional services, or similarly-named agencies.
Parole is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or else they may be rearrested and returned to prison.
The Wyoming Department of Corrections (WDOC) is a state agency of Wyoming that operates adult correctional facilities. It is headquartered in Suite 100 of the 1934 Wyott Drive building in Cheyenne.
The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) is a state agency of Mississippi that operates prisons. It has its headquarters in Jackson. As of 2020 Burl Cain is the commissioner.
The Washington State Department of Corrections (WADOC) is a department of the government of the State of Washington. WADOC is responsible for administering adult corrections programs operated by the state. This includes state correctional institutions and programs for people supervised in the community. Its headquarters are in Tumwater, Washington.
The U.S. state of Washington enforced capital punishment until the state's capital punishment statute was declared null and void and abolished in practice by a state Supreme Court ruling on October 11, 2018. The court ruled that it was unconstitutional as applied due to racial bias however it did not render the wider institution of capital punishment unconstitutional and rather required the statute to be amended to eliminate racial biases. From 1904 to 2010, 78 people were executed by the state; the last was Cal Coburn Brown on September 10, 2010. In April 2023, Governor Jay Inslee signed SB5087 which formally abolished capital punishment in Washington State and removed provisions for capital punishment from state law.
An execution chamber, or death chamber, is a room or chamber in which capital punishment is carried out. Execution chambers are almost always inside the walls of a maximum-security prison, although not always at the same prison where the death row population is housed. Inside the chamber is the device used to carry out the death sentence.
Capital punishment was abolished in 2019 in New Hampshire for persons convicted of capital murder. It remains a legal penalty for crimes committed prior to May 30, 2019.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is the penal law enforcement agency of the government of California responsible for the operation of the California state prison and parole systems. Its headquarters are in Sacramento.
A prison officer (PO) or corrections officer (CO), also known as a correctional law enforcement officer or less formally as a prison guard, is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the security of the facility and its property as well as other law enforcement functions. Most prison officers or corrections officers are employed by the government of the jurisdiction in which they operate, although some are employed by private companies that provide prison services to the government.
The New Jersey State Prison (NJSP), formerly known as Trenton State Prison, is a state men's prison in Trenton, New Jersey operated by the New Jersey Department of Corrections. It is the oldest prison in New Jersey and one of the oldest correctional facilities in the United States. It is the state's only completely maximum security institution, housing the most difficult and/or dangerous male offenders in the inmate population. NJSP operates two security units and provides a high level of custodial supervision and control. Professional treatment services, such as education and social work, are a priority at the facility. The Bureau of State Use Industries operated the bedding and clothing shops that were once located in Shop Hall at the facility. These industries have been relocated to South Woods State Prison.
The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) is a Cabinet-level agency within the Tennessee state government responsible for the oversight of more than 20,000 convicted offenders in Tennessee's fourteen prisons, three of which are privately managed by CoreCivic. The department is headed by the Tennessee Commissioner of Correction, who is currently Frank Strada. TDOC facilities' medical and mental health services are provided by Corizon. Juvenile offenders not sentenced as adults are supervised by the independent Tennessee Department of Children's Services, while inmates granted parole or sentenced to probation are overseen by the Department of Correction (TDOC)/Department of Parole. The agency is fully accredited by the American Correctional Association. The department has its headquarters on the sixth floor of the Rachel Jackson Building in Nashville.
The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS) is the department of the New York State government that administers the state prison and parole system, including 44 prisons funded by the state government.
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections (WIDOC) is an administrative department in the executive branch of the state of Wisconsin responsible for corrections in Wisconsin, including state prisons and community supervision. The secretary is a cabinet member appointed by the governor of Wisconsin and confirmed by the Wisconsin Senate.
The Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DPS&C) is a state law enforcement agency responsible for the incarceration of inmates and management of facilities at state prisons within the state of Louisiana. The agency is headquartered in Baton Rouge. The agency comprises two major areas: Public Safety Services and Corrections Services. The secretary, who is appointed by the governor of Louisiana, serves as the department's chief executive officer. The Corrections Services deputy secretary, undersecretary, and assistant secretaries for the Office of Adult Services and the Office of Youth Development report directly to the secretary. Headquarters administration consists of centralized divisions that support the management and operations of the adult and juvenile institutions, adult and juvenile probation and parole district offices, and all other services provided by the department.
South Woods State Prison is a state prison for male offenders located in Bridgeton, Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. It is operated by the New Jersey Department of Corrections.
Thomas Trantino is an American convicted murderer who was sentenced to life in prison for the execution style shooting deaths in 1963 of two police officers in Lodi, New Jersey. He was sentenced to death by electrocution, which was commuted to life in prison after capital punishment was suspended in the 1970s. This began a long battle for parole, which continued until his release from prison in 2002.
Capital punishment in New Jersey is currently abolished, after Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine signed a law repealing it in 2007. Before this, capital punishment was used and at least 361 people have been executed.
Ippolito "Lee" Gonzalez was an American Police Sergeant with the police department of Franklin Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey who was fatally shot multiple times during a routine traffic stop in Franklinville on May 6, 1995. Two Warlocks Motorcycle Club members, Robert Simon and Charles Staples, were tried and convicted for Gonzalez's murder, the former being sentenced to death and later murdered while on death row.