A group of Assembly Republicans toured New Jersey State Prison in Trenton on Monday, using the visit to draw attention to conditions at the state-run facility amid heightened scrutiny of Delaney Hall, the federal immigration detention center in Newark.
The delegation, led by Robert Auth (R-Old Tappan) and joined by Greg Myhre (R-Stafford), Michael Inganamort (R-Chester), and Paul Kanitra (R-Point Pleasant), said the tour was prompted by Gov. Mikie Sherrill and congressional Democrats’ focus on reported conditions at Delaney Hall, as well as recent clashes between protesters and law enforcement outside the facility. The lawmakers said they wanted to highlight what they see as a disparity in how correctional facilities are discussed and scrutinized.
Auth noted that New Jersey State Prison falls under state jurisdiction, while ICE detention facilities are funded and operated by the federal government.
“The state government has complete authority over New Jersey’s prisons. If we’re serious about oversight, we should start with the facilities we actually run,” said Auth.
Opened in 1836, New Jersey State Prison is nearly 190 years old and is the state’s only maximum-security prison. During the tour, lawmakers observed aging infrastructure, prison cells smaller than those recommended by the American Correctional Association, and sections of the facility without air conditioning.
The legislators were also told that the prison system is approximately 300 correctional officers short of its authorized staffing levels. They argued that recruiting and retaining staff has become increasingly difficult because of the facility’s age, condition, and workload demands.
“We walked through a crumbling 1800s facility with cells that fail basic American Correctional Association standards,” said Kanitra. He added that, in many cases, correctional officers and inmates are served the same meals.
The lawmakers emphasized that their criticism was directed at state policymakers, not correctional officers, whom they praised for working under difficult circumstances.
“New Jersey has an obligation to maintain the facilities it asks people to operate. The people working there are doing their jobs. The question is whether Trenton is doing its job,” said Myhre.
Inganamort offered praise for the state correctional officers assigned to the prison where New Jersey’s most dangerous criminals are housed.
“The men and women working inside this prison deserve a tremendous amount of credit,” said Inganamort. “Their work may not generate cable news headlines, but it should be a priority for our state’s elected leaders. Modernizing New Jersey State Prison and aggressively recruiting correctional officers to address staffing shortages and reduce mandatory overtime must be at the top of our corrections agenda.”
The Assembly Republicans have also requested a tour of Delaney Hall and other detention facilities operating in New Jersey.
Amol Sinha, the executive director of the New Jersey American Civil Liberties Union, said he’d like to work with the Republican legislators on prison reform.
“We agree that conditions at NJSP need to be addressed and that New Jersey has a responsibility to implement reform at facilities across the state,” Sinha said. “If Assemblymen Auth, Myhre, Inganamort, and Kanitra are dedicated to advancing a comprehensive prison conditions and reform agenda, we’d welcome their support – including in championing the widespread call to close NJSP’s disgraceful West Compound.”
This story was updated on June 17 at 8:56 PM with comment from Simha.
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