New Report Says Max Security Prison Compound Must Close, Citing Inhumane Conditions

"Many people incarcerated at New Jersey State Prison's West Compound are confined in cells so small they can touch the ceiling and both walls with their arms outstretched, according to a new report released on Tuesday by the Office of the Corrections Ombudsperson. The Department of Corrections did not respond to an email seeking comment. New Jersey State Prison, a maximum security prison in Trenton, the state's capital, holds more than 1,300 people across its three compounds, North, South, and West."

"As part of their inspection of the West Compound, investigators conducted site visits and interviewed over 100 incarcerated people, as well as staff and prison leadership. Investigators found that West Compound prison cells, with the exception of one wing, "are very small." Cells in the solitary confinement unit, which the Department of Corrections has named the Restorative Housing Unit, "are shockingly small," measuring four feet by seven feet."

"Cells in the solitary confinement unit, which the Department of Corrections has named the Restorative Housing Unit, "are shockingly small," measuring four feet by seven feet. "People housed on 7-Wing [the Restorative Housing Unit] can touch the ceiling and can extend their arms to touch both side-walls of the cell," the report says. "The same is true for much of the population in 1-wing, 2-wing and 6-wing, though these cells are larger than the ones in 7-wing.""

Many incarcerated people at New Jersey State Prison’s West Compound are confined in cells so small they can touch the ceiling and both side walls with arms outstretched. New Jersey State Prison is a maximum security facility in Trenton housing over 1,300 people across North, South, and West compounds. Investigators conducted site visits and interviewed more than 100 incarcerated people, staff, and prison leadership. Cells across 1-wing, 2-wing, 6-wing and especially 7-wing (the Restorative Housing Unit) are described as very small; solitary cells in 7-wing measure four feet by seven feet. County jails require 35 square feet, but no minimum exists for prison cells.

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