As reported on Senatenj.com, the New Jersey State Senate passed legislation sponsored by Diane Allen and Christopher Bateman to increase penalties for assaulting a corrections officer, sheriff’s officer, and other law enforcement personnel because of their job status. “These law enforcement officers have some of the most difficult and dangerous jobs that there are,”
NJ DOC
NJ Shelling Out $5M In Back Pay To Correction Officers
By Donald C. Barbati on
Posted in Uncategorized
As reported by nj.com, New Jersey will soon begin shelling out millions of dollars in back pay to thousands of current and former corrections officers who participated in a training program that was approved for only a year but lasted a decade. The settlement, reached in May after years of litigation, is expected …
NJ Assembly Passes Bill Calling For Investigation Of Halfway Houses
By Donald C. Barbati on
Posted in Uncategorized
As reported by nj.com, the State Assembly approved a bill that calls for the creation of an independent task force to investigate New Jersey’s halfway houses-privately operated facilities used to supplement the State’s prison system. The measure (A3503), sponsored by eight Democrats and one Republican, passed in a 52-23 vote. It has not been introduced …
Corrections Officers Oppose Planned Gloucester, Cumberland County Jail Merger
By Donald C. Barbati on
Posted in Uncategorized
As reported by nj.com, a plan to close the Gloucester County jail and enter a shared services agreement with Cumberland County has some local law enforcement personnel, as well as those who work in and run Gloucester County’s jail, questioning and debating its supposed merits. It was announced Saturday that the two counties will …
As Hurricane Irene Approaches, State Prisons Prepare To Move Inmates
By Donald C. Barbati on
Posted in Uncategorized
As reported by nj.com, New Jersey’s Department of Corrections is preparing for the possibility of having to relocate hundreds of state prison inmates as Hurricane Irene approaches. The department issued a statement saying emergency evacuation plans are being dusted off at all 13 state prisons.
A primary concern is the Southern State Correctional …
NJ Owes Thousands Of Corrections Officers Back Pay
By Donald C. Barbati on
Posted in Uncategorized
As reported by nj.com, the state must pay thousands of corrections officers back pay for their participation in a pilot program that last 10 years beyond its experimental phase, a Superior Court judge ruled. If the ruling is allowed to stand, the state will be responsible for millions of dollars in compensation for …
Governor Christie Seeks to Halt Early Release of Inmates with Conditional Veto
By Donald C. Barbati on
Posted in Uncategorized
As reported by nj.com, Governor Chris Christie is seeking to halt the early release of state prison inmates with the conditional veto of a separate bill today. The early release program has drawn a firestorm of controversy after two inmates who were allowed out of prison months early were accused of murder.
“Whatever original …
Governor Christie Calls for Elimination of Early-Release Program
By Donald C. Barbati on
Posted in Uncategorized
As reported by nj.com, Governor Chris Christie called for the elimination of an early release program for prison inmates, less than two weeks after an inmate released early allegedly killed a man in Jersey City. Authorities said the former inmate, Rondell Jones, shot and killed a Newark man during a dispute six weeks after …
Correction Officer Shoots Alleged Armed Robber
By Donald C. Barbati on
Posted in Uncategorized
On December 7, 2009, New Jersey State Correction Officer Darrell Kornegay was walking to his car after buying food at a restaurant on Springfield Avenue in Irvington Township, one of the township’s main drags, when he was attacked close to 9:00 p.m. A masked man carrying a handgun, later identified as Raymon Scott, stopped Officer …
Possible Move of Juvenile Inmates to Adult Prisons
By Donald C. Barbati on
Posted in Public Employment Labor Law
According to an article published in the Trentonian on October 1, 2009, plans are in the works to put New Jersey’s most troublesome juvenile inmates in the custody of the adult prison system. This move, in turn, could potentially take the Juvenile Justice Commission (“JJC”) out of the incarceration business. In connection with this move, sources …