New Jersey Department of Corrections
The New Jersey Department of Corrections is responsible for operations and management of prison facilities in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The department operates 13 major institutions—seven adult male correctional facilities, three youth facilities, one facility for sex offenders, one women's correctional institution and a central reception / intake unit—and a Stabilization and Reintegration Program. 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.
Jurisdiction and law enforcement authority
New Jersey State Correctional Police Officers, 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 within the scope of their employment.New Jersey State Correctional Police Officers are authorized to carry on duty the Heckler & Koch USP in.40 S&W. 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.
Since the establishment of the New Jersey Department of Corrections, 24 officers have died in the line of duty.
Ranks
There are four sworn titles in the New Jersey Department of Corrections:| Title | Insignia | Uniform Shirt Color |
| Major | ||
| Lieutenant | ||
| Sergeant | ||
| Officer |
Media campaigns
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. 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. The NJDOC commercials were available in English, with one public service announcement also having a Spanish version.Facilities
Prison capacity and costs
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.| Prison | Inmate Capacity | Average daily population | Annual per capita cost | Daily per capita cost |
| New Jersey State Prison | 2,022 | 1,796 | $4,408 | $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 |
| Mountainview Youth Correctional Facility | 1,091 | 934 | $40,425 | $110.45 |