STATE OF NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS ANNUAL REPORT 2007 GEORGE W. HAYMAN COMMISSIONER MESSAGE FROM COMMISSIONER GEORGE W. HAYMAN We in the New Jersey De- positive im- partment of Corrections, un- pact not only der the leadership of Gover- in the lives of nor Jon S.Corzine, remain offenders, dedicated to solidifying our but in the stature among the most effi- communities cient law enforcement agen- in which we cies in the nation. Through live and the successful implementa- work. tion of a wide array of pro- grams and initiatives, we This report is continued to make strides designed to toward that goal in the 2007 provide in- calendar year. sight into a complex sys- The ever-evolving standards tem that of recruitment and training strives to are higher than ever before, meet the assuring that today’s correc- challenges of tion officer is the best pre- modern cor- pared and most professional rectional in the history of the Depart- management. ment of Corrections. Our In order to custody staff is the last line achieve our of defense our society has objectives, I against its most dangerous will continue to rely on what I rooms and libraries, thera- criminal offenders. Yet, the consider this department’s peutic communities and of- nature of an officer’s interac- most valuable resource – the fender reentry programming. tion with an inmate can NJDOC’s outstanding work- It is highly trained officers, prove to be the difference force, more than 9,000 strong, investigators, social workers between a perpetual life of which shares my vision of a and educators committed to crime and change for the bet- proactive law enforcement making difference, both in- ter. agency and side and outside works on a The Department of our prisons. We have worked to create daily basis to Corrections is much the safest possible environ- transform that more than cells, bars This report pro- ment for both custody and vision into re- and imposing stone vides insight into civilian staff; in doing so, ality. walls. a complex system we’ve ultimately made a designed to suc- The Depart- New Jersey a safer place. In- cessfully meet the many ment of Corrections is much deed, we pledge to continue challenges of modern correc- more than cells, bars and im- down a path that will enable tional management. this department to have a posing stone walls. It is class- 2 MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the New Jersey Department of Corrections is to ensure that all individuals com- mitted to the state correctional institutions are confined with the level of custody necessary to protect the public and that they are provided with the care, discipline, training, and treatment needed to prepare them for reintegration into the community. The Department of Corrections is organized into three separate divisions: Administration The Division of Administration is responsible for managing approximately one billion dollars and employing more than 9,000 persons, including 6,500 in custody positions. Roughly 27,000 individuals are under NJDOC jurisdiction in state correctional institutions, county jail and half- way houses. The division provides administrative services to support the departmental mission in such major areas as Budget and Fiscal Management, Personnel, Policy and Planning, and In- formation Systems. Operations The Division of Operations is responsible for 14 major institutions -- 12 adult male correctional facilities, one women’s correctional institution and a central reception/intake unit. These facili- ties collectively house inmates in minimum, medium and maximum security levels. They are diverse and unique in their operations. For example, New Jersey State Prison is the state’s only facility in which all inmates are classified as maximum security. The Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center operates corrections’ rehabilitative programs for habitual sex offenders. Northern State Prison contains the Security Threat Group Management Unit, which houses gang members considered a threat to the safety of the institutions and individuals. The offender population at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women is comprised of females at all lev- els of security. Programs and Community Services The Division of Programs and Community Services provides institutional and community- based program opportunities for offenders, including community labor assistance, academic and vocational educational programs, recreational programs, library (lending and law) services, sub- stance abuse treatment and transitional services. Other specialized services include victim assis- tance, chaplaincy services, stress management for employees and their families, county assis- tance quality assurance and liaison to the Intensive Supervision Program. Additionally, the divi- sion contracts with private and non-profit providers throughout the state to provide community- based residential treatment programs for offenders under community supervision. Public safety is enhanced through the development, coordination, administration and delivery of these institu- tional and community-based programs and services. 3 UNDER COMMISSIONER HAYMAN, NJDOC CONTINUES TO MOVE FORWARD George Hayman was con- prisons in April, provides of- Initiative at Garden State firmed as commissioner of fenders nearing their release Youth Correctional Facility. the New Jersey Department with a structured and detailed The six-week class was de- of Corrections on January 8, approach to addressing these signed to impact the inci- 2007. Commissioner Hay- barriers. Another program that dence of recidivism resulting man, who had been serving was introduced during the from drug involvement by as acting commissioner since 2007 calendar year was Cage assisting participants with January 2006, has been with Your Rage, an anger manage- developing an abstinence the department since 1983. ment program designed to mindset. help offenders deal with their “We will continue to ad- feelings of anger in a respon- Northern State Prison’s dresses the many challenges sible way. In addition, Fresh Start Therapeutic we face as effectively and through inter-agency coopera- Community program cele- efficiently as possible,” the tion with the State Parole brated its fifth anniversary. commissioner said. “In doing Board, Motor Vehicle Com- Fresh Start was the first pro- so, we will rely heavily on mission, Social Security Ad- gram of its kind for mini- our outstanding professional ministration, Department of mum custody male offenders staff.” Labor and Workforce Devel- in an NJDOC facility. In the opment, among others, the past, Therapeutic Commu- Examples of the depart- Office of Transitional Ser- nity programs have been of- ment’s accomplishments vices developed a variety of fered exclusively to medium abounded throughout the procedures to help ex- custody male offenders. calendar year: offenders to navigate through the reentry process. Through a collaborative in- A significant component of terdepartmental project be- Governor Corzine’s compre- Professor Jason Francisco of tween the Office of Drug hensive anti-crime initiative, Rutgers University visited the Programs and the Office of which was unveiled in Octo- Edna Mahan Correctional Fa- Information Technology, a ber 2007, is offender reentry. cility for Women, where he data file of more than 700 Thus, the programs of the photographed inmates at employment/school records NJDOC’s Office of Transi- work. The photos will be in- of offenders housed in com- tional Services have been corporated into an exhibit ti- munity corrections was up- placed in the spotlight. Those tled “New Jersey at Work,” to loaded into the NJDOC’s In- programs include STARS be permanently displayed at mate Management database. (Successful Transition and the Mason Gross School of The data will allow for statis- Reentry Series), an intensive Art in New Brunswick. tical analysis of employment/ three-month release prepara- school participation of of- tory program designed to ad- Thirty-two inmates graduated fenders who are transitioning dress each major re-entry from the first pilot of the Sub- back into the community barrier faced by the returning stance Abuse Education through halfway house work offender. STARS, which was Awareness and Information release programs. implemented in all 14 state 4 A memorial to Department of Corrections officers who died in the line of duty was formally dedicated on the Central Office grounds. Families of the fallen officers as well as elected officials and various other luminaries attended the dedication. An article titled “Factors of Addiction – NJ Correctional Population,” prepared by staff from the Office of Drug Programs in partnership with the Rutgers University Cen- Offenders in the horticulture Facility completed a complex ter for Operations Research, landscaping project at the was published in the July programs at Jones Farm – a satellite work camp of the New Jersey Department of 2007 issue of the peer review Transportation headquarters journal “Crime & Delin- Central Reception and As- signment Facility – and in Ewing. quency.” Southern State Correctional The Office of Community Programs presented the In- mate Retention Project to the New Jersey Coalition of Community Program Provid- ers at the Central Office grounds. The project is de- signed to maintain as many inmates in the community house setting by utilizing the Residential Community Re- lease Program’s in-house Disciplinary Sanction System for minor infractions. The NJDOC and the New Jersey Department of Human Services finalized an agree-