Addiego, Rudder move to 'lock down' Corzine's plan to close state prison

Assemblywoman Dawn Marie Addiego and Assemblyman Scott Rudder are taking steps to force the State of New Jersey to reconsider plans to close Riverfront State Prison in Camden. 

      “Closing this safe, secure and relatively new facility does not make sense,” said Assemblywoman Addiego. “The Governor is in a rush to do this. We need to put on the breaks and make sure this is the right thing to do for the taxpayers of New Jersey.” 

      In a published report about the plan to close the prison, The Star-Ledger Newspaper in Newark reported: “When confirming the decision to close Riverfront, officials said the number of inmates in New Jersey’s prison system had decreased by 5,000 inmates … over the past six years. …  The Star-Ledger found the population actually fell by just 387 inmates during that time.” 

      A Department of Corrections spokeswoman admitted their number was wrong. 

      “An error like that is precisely why we want the state to slow down and take a deep breath,” said Assemblyman Rudder. “What’s the hurry?” 

      The 8^th District legislators have introduced a bill, A-3881, that prohibits the state from closing any facility until the New Jersey has regained custody of all state prisoners being held in county jails at the expense of property taxpayers. 

      “The Governor can not be allowed to close a prison if the state is going to hand inmates off to the counties without picking up the tab. In 2008, Burlington County held an average of 38 state inmates a day, at a cost of $1 million to the taxpayers of the county,” Assemblyman Rudder said. “That number is likely to climb if Corzine tears down Riverfront, and the property taxpayers will be footing the bill.” 

      The Office of Legislative Services found that the state prison system is operating at 136 percent of capacity including Riverfront State Prison. 

      Assemblywoman Addiego and Assemblyman Rudder are also drafting another bill that requires the state to conduct a thorough study of the entire prison system before the closing of any facility. The study would consider prison population, crime statistics and trends, and consider the feasibility of closing any current facility. The study would also recommend which facility to close. 

      “It’s time to step back and take a good look at this plan,” said Assemblywoman Addiego. “Does it make sense to close a prison in this environment? Is this the right thing to do for our taxpayers? Or is the state going to sock the taxpayers with a bill to construct a new prison in a year or two? We owe it to the taxpayers to proceed with caution. The risk is too high.” 

      The State House Commission, which overseas state property, was set to hear testimony on the sale of the property at its meeting on March 16. But the item was pulled from the agenda at the last minute; the state had missed some critical prerequisite steps. 

      “The Governor is rushing the process. That’s how mistakes are made, and a mistake in this case could cost the property taxpayers of New Jersey many millions of dollars. It is critical to be absolutely sure closing the prison is the right thing to do,” said Assemblyman Rudder. “We are not convinced it is.”     

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