Inspectors Urge New Jersey to Demolish Old, “Inhumane” Prison
The New Jersey State Prison is the oldest operating prison in the country, with some of its buildings constructed nearly 200 years ago. Many prisoners at the facility’s West Compound are jammed in cells measuring as little as 28 square feet, with a low ceiling and only enough floor space to walk in and out. At that same compound, there is no air conditioning nor day room or recreation space.
In September of this year, investigators with the state DOC released an inspection report calling for portions of the prison—which locks up more than 1,300 people in total—to be demolished and replaced. “Hundreds of people are living in the prison’s West Compound in cells small enough that they can extend their arms and touch both side-walls and the ceiling,” the investigation found. “People live in this maximum-security facility, often for decades, with restricted movement and few programming options even when they have low classification scores and clean disciplinary records.”
Experts have been calling for West Compound’s closure for almost a century, with a commission in 1918 calling it “antiquated and inadequate” and “much too small for decent living.” The recent report adds to this long record in recommending replacing West Compound with “modern correctional housing units.” The DOC, in response, admitted that new construction was necessary but, citing budget constraints, refused to commit to a timeline for any future renovations.
Source: Truthout
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