Mercer: Jail Consolidation Would Save Taxpayers $12M/year, Protect Union Jobs
A proposal to save taxpayers $12 million annually by reducing the utilization of the Mercer County Correction Center, while retaining the job of every single officer, was presented to the Board of Chosen Freeholders at the board's Sept. 12 meeting.
Mercer County retained the service of consultants NW Financial Group, Inc., to conduct an analysis of the Mercer County Correction Center (MCCC) so that Mercer could make informed decisions on options. NW Financial has provided the County with a comprehensive report that recommends entering into a 2-year agreement with Hudson County. Among the highlights of the proposal:
- Saves Mercer County taxpayers $12 million annually by sending Mercer inmates to Hudson
- Preserves jobs for all Corrections Officers and Superior Officers, either in Mercer or in Hudson, based on seniority
- Keeps portion of the MCCC open and operational for inmate intake and for inmate detention during trial
- Provides more liberal visitation opportunities for inmate families compared to Mercer
- Guarantees the timely delivery of inmates for trial or to meet with their attorney
- Offers health, wellness and substance abuse treatments unavailable at Mercer
- Drastically reduces waste, water consumption and maintenance costs at Hopewell Township jail facility
“The New Jersey Criminal Justice Reform Act is functioning as intended -- to make the justice system fairer for all, not just those who can scrape together bail money,” said Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes. “One of the outcomes is a profound reduction in the number of inmates and their length of stay, but due to fixed costs, we are seeing skyrocketing per-inmate costs. We believe that as our inmate population further declines, we can offer relief to our taxpayers by entering into an agreement with a County that has excess capacity at its correction center and by closing nearly all of the century-old county jail,” the county executive added.
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