COURT HOUSE — How many local residents are currently housed in state prison facilities? Not as many as one would think, according to a 2010 New Jersey Department of Corrections Offender Characteristics Report. In fact, prisoners from this county accounted for less than 2 percent of the state’s 24,808 total offenders.
According to the report, there were 472 individuals committed from Cape May County incarcerated in state correctional institutions on Jan. 1, compared to 458 on the same date last year. Of the state’s 21 counties, only seven had lower inmate totals than Cape May: Hunterdon (136), Morris (355), Salem (215), Somerset (441), Sussex (167) and Warren (182).
Of the total offenders committed from this county, 276 were characterized as prison males; 82 were in the state youth complex; 27 were women incarcerated at the Edna Mahan female prison, 10 were in the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center (ADTC), a facility for adult male sex offenders, and 77 were in “other” facilities.
Nearly two-thirds of this county’s male offenders were incarcerated in the three most southern prison facilities in Cumberland County. There were 57 offenders at Bayside State Prison in Leesburg, 55 at Southern State Correctional Facility in Delmont, and 80 at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton.
In addition, there were six state-sentenced inmates housed in county jail and 70 in halfway houses.
Some statewide highlights of the DOC report included:
• 51 percent of all inmates were committed for crimes against persons, including homicide, sexual assault, aggravated/simple assault, robbery, kidnapping, other sex offenses and other person offenses.
• 27 percent were committed for narcotics law violations, including possession, sale and distribution.
• Median total prison term was five years.
• 35 percent of inmates were committed with total terms of 10 years or more. Of the total, 5 percent are serving life sentences with parole eligibility, and 60 offenders are serving life sentences without parole.
• 71 percent of inmates have sentences that include mandatory minimum terms.
• 41 percent 30 years of age or younger, median age in adult facilities was 33.
• 61 percent of inmates are Black, 20 percent White and 18 percent Hispanic.
• 80 percent of all state inmates are from 10 counties: Atlantic, Bergen, Camden, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Passaic and Union.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
