Monday, January 11, 2016

Atlantic County Prepared to House Gloucester County Inmates

Atlantic County is poised to enter into a shared services agreement with Gloucester County that will permit Atlantic County to accept adult inmates from Gloucester County at the Atlantic County Justice Facility in Mays Landing for a fee of $89.36 per day, per inmate.

The proposed resolution is on the Atlantic County Board of Freeholders agenda for Tuesday, January 12.

If approved Atlantic County will accept a maximum of 25 female inmates and a maximum of 50 male inmates from Gloucester County for a period of two years with transportation of the inmates provided by Gloucester County.

“This is a unique opportunity for Atlantic County to generate additional revenue and further ensure the efficient and cost effective operation of our jail,” stated Dennis Levinson, County Executive.

According to Levinson the jail has been consistently below full capacity for some time, due in large part to a concerted effort by the courts, jail, and prosecutor to limit the number of inmates housed at the facility who have committed less severe crimes.

The jail can house more than 900 inmates, but our daily average is down to around 700, added Levinson.

Atlantic County previously approved a similar shared services agreement in June of 2015 that allows the county to accept as many as 150 inmates from Burlington County, although the average has been closer to 75. Both agreements include maximum limits to prevent any issues with overcrowding.

“We’re pleased to work with both these counties to improve overall efficiency,” he said. “Surprisingly these agreements were easier to execute than some of our municipal shared services.”

County News