ASSEMBLY, No. 2902

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED MAY 5, 1997

By Assemblyman GUSCIORA and Assemblywoman TURNER

An Act requiring the operators of certain facilities under contract with the Department of Corrections to provide information in certain cases and supplementing chapter 4 of Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. The chief operating officer, or his designee, of any private facility under contract with the Department of Corrections to provide general custody and care services or specialized residential treatment services for inmates sentenced to the custody of the Commissioner of Corrections shall:

    a. Notify the law enforcement agency of the municipality wherein the facility is located whenever an inmate escapes from that facility or other such serious security breach occurs. Notification shall be made within one hour of the time the escape or other such security breach is discovered and shall be made in a manner prescribed by the commissioner;

    b. Prepare and make available on a quarterly basis statistical information relating to escapes, attempted and successful, from the facility. The information shall be made available in a manner prescribed by the commissioner and may include, but not be limited to, publication in a newspaper circulating within the municipality wherein the facility is located. In addition, the information shall be available during regular business hours to residents of the municipality;

    c. In the case of an escape or other such security breach, and at the same time notice thereof is being given pursuant to subsection a. of this section, disclose all relevant information relating to the escapee's criminal history and background to the local law enforcement agency.

    As used in this section, "facility" means a residential center which is operated by a private entity, regardless of whether it is organized or incorporated as a for profit or nonprofit entity, pursuant to a contract with the Department of Corrections to provide for the care, custody, subsistence, treatment, education, training or welfare of inmates sentenced to the custody of the Commissioner of Corrections.

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill would require the operators of private prison and treatment facilities who are under contract with the Department of Corrections to provide housing or care for inmates to give notice to the local law enforcement agency whenever one of those inmates escapes. The bill specifies that this notice must be given within one hour of the discovery of the escape. At the same time, the operators are to disclose all relevant information relating to the escapee's criminal history and background to the local police. Finally, the bill mandates that the operators of these facilities prepare and make available on a quarterly basis a statistical report relating to escapes, both attempted and successful. This information is to be published in a newspaper that circulates in the municipality. The information also is to be made available to residents of the community during regular business hours.

Requires operators of private facilities housing inmates under contract with DOC to notify local police of any escape.