Assembly Republicans cite staffing, infrastructure concerns after tour of New Jersey State Prison

TRENTON, N.J. — Four Republican state assemblymen toured New Jersey State Prison in Trenton on Monday and raised concerns about aging infrastructure, staffing shortages and inmate living conditions, arguing that state-run correctional facilities deserve the same scrutiny as federal detention centers.

Assemblymen Robert Auth, Greg Myhre, Michael Inganamort and Paul Kanitra visited the prison following recent public debate over conditions at Delaney Hall, a privately operated federal immigration detention facility in Newark.

According to the lawmakers, the tour revealed aging housing units, cells smaller than American Correctional Association recommendations, a lack of air conditioning in some areas and ongoing staffing shortages.

“If politicians are going to make claims about conditions inside correctional facilities, they should be willing to inspect all of them,” said Auth (R-Bergen). “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.”

Opened in 1836, New Jersey State Prison is the state’s only maximum-security prison and is nearly 190 years old.

The lawmakers said they were informed the prison system is approximately 300 correctional officers short of authorized staffing levels, with shortages worsening when employees are on leave.

“Following last month’s budget hearing with the Department of Corrections, it was important to see firsthand the staffing and capital needs of New Jersey’s only maximum-security prison,” said Inganamort (R-Sussex, Morris, Warren). “The men and women working inside this prison deserve a tremendous amount of credit. 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 legislators emphasized that their concerns were not directed at correctional officers, whom they praised for working under difficult conditions.

“Democrats spent the last month complaining about Delaney Hall. They should have spent it touring their own State Prison in Trenton,” said Kanitra (R-Ocean). “We walked through a crumbling 1800s facility with cells that fail basic American Correctional Association standards, and smelled burning K2 in the air from drugs their liberal policies fail to screen out. But here’s what should embarrass them most: the dedicated officers who keep that prison running aren’t just working in a West Wing with no air conditioning, they’re eating the exact same food the inmates call ‘horrible.’ Clean up your own backyard before you lecture anyone about a federal one.”

Myhre thanked Department of Corrections personnel for facilitating the visit and said the tour highlighted the need for investment in state facilities.

“I want to thank Commissioner Kuhn, the Department of Corrections staff and the correctional officers who welcomed us, provided a safe and informative tour, and perform an incredibly difficult job every day,” said Myhre (R-Ocean). “What we saw today wasn’t a failure of the people working inside the prison. It was a reminder that New Jersey has an obligation to maintain the facilities they are asked to operate. The people working there are doing their jobs. The question is whether Trenton is doing its job. State correctional facilities should strive to meet the same standards of safety, security and professionalism as federal facilities operating within our borders.”

The lawmakers said the visit was arranged through the Department of Corrections and followed recent criticism by state officials of conditions at Delaney Hall.

Assembly Republicans said they have also requested tours of Delaney Hall and other detention facilities operating in New Jersey.

“For weeks we’ve heard outrage about conditions in a federal facility,” said Auth. “Meanwhile, the state prison sitting a few blocks from the Statehouse struggles with aging infrastructure, staffing shortages and quality-of-life concerns that have existed for years. That’s not the fault of corrections officers. That’s a failure of priorities.”

“If politicians want to compare conditions, let’s compare conditions,” said Auth. “We’ve now toured the prison New Jersey Democrats run. We’d like to see the facility they’ve spent the last month talking about.”