Major Step Announced Toward Reopening Mid-State Correctional Facility as Drug Treatment Center

TRENTON — Governor Chris Christie on March 9, 2017 announced the Gateway Foundation will provide treatment services when Mid-State Correctional Facility reopens as a drug treatment center for New Jersey prison inmates.
Governor Christie initially presented the closure of the prison and repurposing of the facility as the first-ever fully-dedicated drug treatment prison during his 2016 State of the State address. He shared this latest step forward while touring Sansone Automall in Avenel, a major employer of those with criminal records.
“People suffering from the disease of addiction deserve holistic and individualized treatment, whether they’re in the community or incarcerated,” said Governor Christie. “With the Gateway Foundation at the helm of Mid-State, we will save lives, break the costly cycle of addiction, avoid recidivism and help countless people return as productive members of their families and our society.”
The Department of Corrections (NJDOC) in cooperation with the Department of Human Services will reopen Mid-State with services being provided for an initial term of five years by the Gateway Foundation, an organization with more than 40 years of experience in substance abuse treatment and counseling, including residential substance use psychoeducational programming at six NJDOC facilities. As an additional component of this contract, the Gateway Foundation will continue to provide psychoeducational programming at all 13 NJDOC correctional facilities and provide substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women. Gateway will offer a range of treatment individualized to the needs of each inmate, with a focus on providing treatment for offenders with substance use disorders involving alcohol and/or drugs.
This new program is licensed by the Office of Licensing of the Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services. The contract, entered into on behalf of the NJDOC by the Department of the Treasury, Division of Purchase and Property, may be extended for three additional periods of up to one year each.
Mid-State Correctional Facility, the 696-bed facility in Wrightstown, was closed in June 2014 and is currently undergoing renovations. Inmates with substance use disorders who do not participate in Mid-State’s SUD program or Edna Mahan’s equivalent SUD program may still participate in substance use psychoeducational programming that is offered at each facility.