New Jersey Department of Corrections
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This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2009) |
| New Jersey Department of Corrections | |
| Abbreviation | NJDOC |
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| Patch of the New Jersey Department of Corrections. | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Employees | 9,500 |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | State of New Jersey, USA |
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| Map of New Jersey Department of Corrections's jurisdiction. | |
| Size | 8,729 square miles (22,610 km2) |
| Population | 8,682,661 (2008 est.).)[1] |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Trenton, New Jersey |
| Agency executive | Gary Lanigan, Commissioner |
| Facilities | |
| Prisons | 14 |
| Website | |
| NJDOC Website | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) is responsible for operations and management of prison facilities in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The department operates 14 major institutions — eight 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.[2]
The NJDOC's facilities house a combined total of 23,000 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 capital sentences (Note though that all of these have now been commuted; see New Jersey Capital punishment).
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[edit] Ranks
There are four sworn titles (referred to as ranks) in the New Jersey Department of Corrections:
| Title | Insignia | Uniform Shirt Color |
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| Major |
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| Lieutenant |
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| Sergeant |
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| Officer |
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[edit] Facilities
[edit] Fallen officers
Since the establishment of the New Jersey Department of Corrections, 25 officers have died in the line of duty.[3]
[edit] Power and Authority of Correction Officers
New Jersey State Correction Officers are given state wide police powers and authority. With this authority, Correctional Officers are required to enforce 2C (New Jersey Criminal Code) within the grounds of their numerous institutions and anywhere in the state if need be.
[edit] Service Pistol
New Jersey State Correction Officers are authorized to carry on duty the Heckler & Koch USP in .40 S&W.
[edit] 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.[4] 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.[5] The NJDOC commercials were available in English, with one public service announcement also having a Spanish version.[6]
[edit] See also
- List of New Jersey state prisons
- List of law enforcement agencies in New Jersey
- List of United States state correction agencies
- Prison
[edit] References
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
- ^ "Contact Us." New Jersey Department of Corrections. Retrieved on March 23, 2009.
- ^ The Officer Down Memorial Page
- ^ Fedkenheuer, Deirdre. "Be Smart - Choose Freedom: New Jersey unveils its crime prevention campaign." Corrections Today. April 2005. 1. Retrieved on August 12, 2010.
- ^ "Be Smart. Choose Freedom." Mississippi Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 12, 2010.
- ^ "Welcome to New Jersey's Department of Corrections." New Jersey Department of Corrections. March 2, 2005. Retrieved on August 12, 2010.
