NJ DOC – New Jersey State Prison (NJSP)

NJ DOC – New Jersey State Prison (NJSP) basic information to help guide you through what you can do for your inmate while they are incarcerated. The facility's direct contact number: 609-292-9700

This facility is for adult inmates.

The inmates housed at NJ State Prison located at 600 Cass St in Trenton, NJ are placed according to their custody level (determined by a number of factors including the past criminal history and the length of their sentence). There are ample educational and vocational training programs for all inmates, especially ones that show a willingness to learn new things that will prepare them for a better life when they are released. The mission is to promote and prepare the offender to leave in better shape than when they arrived, giving them the best chance to never come back and thus lower the state's recidivism rate.

New Jersey State Prison, the oldest prison in New Jersey and one of the oldest correctional facilities in the United States, is the state’s only completely maximum security institution, housing the most difficult and/or dangerous offenders in the inmate population. The facility provides a level of custodial supervision and control beyond that of any other state prison. A multifaceted commitment to professional treatment services, including education and social work, is a priority at the facility.

This facility was formerly known as Trenton State Prison. It is a maximum-security institution that houses over 1,860 adult male and female offenders. At one time New Jersey State Prison was where death row inmates were incarcerated until legislation in 2007 banned capital punishment in the state.

NJ State Prison has had several riots over the span of its operations. Several infamous murders and serial killers are housed at this facility, including Richard Cottingham who killed six women, Charles Cullen who admitted to killing 35 people, the rapper Max B, and Jesse Timmendequas, who raped and murdered 7-year-old Megan Kanka. The crime led to the legislation of Megan's Law, which has undoubtedly saved countless lives by making public the list of registered sex offenders.

visitation Info

NJ DOC – New Jersey State Prison – Visitation

VISITING PROGRAM

You are encouraged to keep as close ties as possible with your family, friends and other members of the community.    To help make this possible, the Institution provides two types of visit programs: Window Visits and Contact Visits. It is your responsibility as visitors to know the Institution’s visit program rules and regulations. It is the right of the inmate to refuse a visit if he or she wishes.

Inmates in General Population are permitted to have both a Window Visit and a Contact Visit on the same day, but not from the same person. A maximum of sixty (60) inmates may receive Contact Visits at one time.    Contact Visits for General Population Inmates are held on Saturdays and Sundays. There are also Contact Visit programs for inmates in the Management Control Unit and Window Visits for Protective Custody, Administrative Segregation (both male and female inmates) and Management Control Unit inmates. Contact Visits are held on Friday evenings for men in the Management Control Unit.    More information on this program can be found on the following pages.

WINDOW VISITS
Window visits are held seven (7) days per week, EXCEPT for those cancelled on specific holidays (i.e. Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Day). Anyone who is on the inmate’s Approved Visit List in the Mailroom may visit him or her, but he/she may not have more than one (1) window visit per day or two (2) window visits each week from the same person.

Inmates are permitted to receive two (2) window visits per week (calculated as Saturday through Friday) from each authorized person on their visiting list. Inmates may not receive a window visit and a contact visit from the same individual on the same visit day. Please note that the visit week begins on Saturday and ends on Friday. The following window visit schedule is in effect and applies to all inmates except those in disciplinary detention or medical/psychiatric observation status, who are not permitted window visits:

General Population (Male) 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Quarantine. 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
(Emergent nature only as approved by the Administrator or his designate)

Protective Custody (PC) 6:30 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Tuesday & Thursday evenings Administrative Segregation: Male 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, Friday & Saturday evenings

Please note inmates who are housed in the Administrative Segregation units are eligible for visits based on the following levels:

Level (1) one inmates are eligible for (1) one visit per month on Wednesday or Fridays. Level (2) two inmates are eligible for (2) two visits per month on Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday.

Management Control Unit 6:30 p.m. — 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, Friday & Saturday & Sunday evenings

MCU Pre-Hearing 6:30 p.m. — 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, Friday & Saturday evenings
Window visits are conducted according to the schedule above. Visitors may register for

General Population and quarantine-status window visits starting at 8:00 a.m., and must complete registration no later than 3:00 p.m.
Visitors for Administrative Segregation, Management Control and MCU Pre-Hearing, and Protective Custody should arrive starting at prior to the start of visits, but before 8:00 p.m.

Registration will not be accepted after 3:00 p.m. daily (General Population male inmates and quarantine-status) or 8:00 p.m. (Administrative Segregation, Protective Custody and Management Control Unit). There will be no extension of the registration period(s).

Both inmates and visitors participating in a Window Visit MUST remain seated at all times. Failure to do so may result in the termination of the visit and a possible ban of the visitor(s).

Window Visit Telephone Receiver Procedures

The Window Visit telephone receivers in New Jersey State Prison are of a plug-in type. When you report to the Window Visit area, the Officer in the booth will provide you with a telephone.    When you are given the phone, you are to plug it in at the Officer's booth and check it with the Officer to be certain that it works properly.  You are then to go to your assigned Window Visit booth and plug the telephone into the jack in the wall. This same procedure will be followed by your visitor(s). The visitor(s) will then take the phone to the assigned Window Visit booth and plug it into the wall-mounted jack.

At the end of the Window Visit, inmate and visitor(s) will return the telephones to the Officer, who will again test them to be certain that they still work.

If the telephone used by the inmate does not work due to obvious breakage or abuse, the inmate will be given a disciplinary charge and be responsible for replacement/repair costs. If the visitor's telephone is broken, the visitor's Window Visit privileges may be suspended pending an investigation of the reasons for the damage.

CONTACT VISITS (General Population Male Inmates)

General Population (MALE INMATES) Contact Visits are held on Saturday and Sunday (2 visits). General Population inmates are permitted to receive one Contact Visit on a Contact Visit day from authorized persons on their Visit List. However, an inmate may not have more than two (2) Contact Visits each week (a Contact Visit week is defined as “Saturday thru Sunday.”) The schedule of General Population Contact Visits are as follows:

MALE INMATES:
Contact Visits are scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays only, at the following times:

First Visit Period:
Registration: 7:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. – Confirmation: 8:45 a.m. — 9:30 a.m. Visit Time: 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Second Visit Period:
Registration: 10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. – Confirmation: 12:00 p.m. — 1:30 p.m. Visit Time: 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

There will be no Contact Visits on the following holidays:

• New Year's Day (No Window Visits)
• Labor Day
• Martin Luther King Day    
• Columbus Day
• Lincoln's Birthday (President's Day)
• Election Day
• Washington's Birthday    
• Veteran’s Day (Observed)
• Memorial Day    
• Thanksgiving

July 4 – Independence Day Christmas (No Window Visits)

Window Visits will be held on these holidays (except New Year's Day and Christmas) according to the standard Institutional Window Visit schedule.
You are permitted to receive one Contact Visit on each Contact Visit day from authorized persons on your Visit List.    Contact Visit days are Saturday and Sunday.

An individual may NOT receive both a Contact and Window Visit from the same person on the same day without special permission from either the Administrator (or designate) or the Prison Classification Committee.

You are NOT permitted to receive a General Population Contact Visit if:

–    You have lost your visiting privileges because of disciplinary charges;

–    You are housed in a Close Custody Housing Unit (Hospital, Protective Custody, Management Control, Administrative Segregation, Infirmary, 1-C Observation, and Disciplinary Detention Emergency Housing). Inmates who are classified General Population but are in temporary Emergency Housing are permitted Contact Visits These require the prior written approval of the Administrator, and are granted on a case-by-case basis.

–    You are confined to the Infirmary as a non-ambulatory (bed-ridden) patient or if you are prevented from having Contact Visits for reasons of health by the Medical Department (see section on Hospital Visits);

–    You are non-ambulatory (unable to walk) and/or require any type of escort as determined by the Unit Captain.

Visitors should be encouraged to register for Contact Visits as early as possible, as no late or extended registration times will be permitted. Visitors should be ready for entry into the Visit Hall ten (10) minutes before the time the visit is scheduled to start, in order to ensure that the Contact Visits begin on time.

In order to ensure safe and well-controlled Contact Visits, a maximum of sixty (60) inmates will be registered for each Contact Visit period.    Inmates will be permitted a maximum of two (2) Contact Visits each week (a "Contact Visit Week" is defined as Saturday and Sunday).

A maximum of four (4) adults and an unlimited number of children of your immediate family are permitted to register for one (and only one) Contact Visit each Contact Visit day.    Visitors may not register for and receive a Contact Visit and a Window Visit on the same day.

HOSPITAL VISITS

General Population inmates who are non-ambulatory patients are permitted to have bedside visits if they have the medical approval of the On-Duty Physician and the Administrator.
Depending upon the seriousness of the illness, visits for hospitalized General Population inmates may be held in the Infirmary area. Hospitalized inmates who are classified either Close Custody or Lock-Up are not permitted bedside visits.

Bedside visits are one-half hour in length, must be scheduled, and approved twenty-four (24) hours before the visit. Visits are scheduled daily. Two (2) visitors of your immediate family (no children under 18) will be permitted a one-half hour visit in the hospital area daily between the hours of:
Visiting Hours 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
1:00 p.m. to    4:00 p.m.

SYMPATHY CONTACT VISITS

The Sympathy Contact Visit Program has been put into effect in an effort to help strengthen family ties after the loss of an immediate family member for those inmates who have been denied a Compassionate Bedside Visit or Funeral Visit.

General Population Inmates who are denied a Compassionate Bedside Visit or Funeral Visit may be eligible for consideration of a Sympathy Contact Visit.    No more than one (1) Sympathy Contact Visit will be permitted.    You must request, in writing, approval for a Sympathy Contact Visit and send this to your Unit Social Worker.    Requests for a Sympathy Contact Visit must be received within five (5) working days of the family member's death. You will be notified of the Administration's decision through the Social Work Department.    If approved, you must coordinate the visit with your family members and your Unit Social Worker.    The visit will be scheduled during normal Contact Visit hours.

Management Control Unit inmates are also eligible for Sympathy Contact Visits as stated before, except that visits will be scheduled in accordance with the needs and security concerns of their areas.

Inmates who are classified in Administrative Segregation, Protective Custody and One-Left Detention Units are not eligible for Sympathy Contact Visits. However, they will be eligible for consideration for a Sympathy Window Visit.

All existing rules and regulations in regards to the VISIT PROGRAM will apply.

EX-OFFENDER VISITS:

An individual with a criminal record who wishes to visit must receive permission to do so from the Administrator and/or the Prison Classification Committee. However, an application for an ex-offender visit must be started by the inmate and is subject to review by the Prison Classification Committee. Any past record of conviction by a local, state, or federal authority; should be provided for review by the Administrator or designee. This last condition does not automatically prevent such persons from visit eligibility, but may be used to exclude certain persons who are not members of an inmate’s immediate family. For the purpose of this subsection ONLY and pursuant to N.J.A.C. 10A:1-2.2 immediate family is defined as Spouse, Parent, Stepparent, Legal Guardian, Grandparent, brother, sister, and/or children.

ATTORNEY and COURT-RELATED VISITS

Any licensed attorney, regardless of his/her, public or private affiliation (connection or partnership) that is listed in the New Jersey Lawyer's Diary and Manual may have a Contact Visit with you.    Appointments must be made at least twenty-four hours in advance by calling New Jersey State Prison's Mail Room.    Attorney visits are held Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (holidays listed above not included, unless administratively approved).    Attorneys not licensed by the State of New Jersey must contact the Administrator's Office twenty-four hours before the intended visit to get permission to visit.
There is no limit on the number of legal visits an attorney (or attorneys) may have with you, nor does the number of legal visits in any way affect the number of Contact Visits or Window Visits you may receive from family and friends.

All Contact Visits from representatives of the Probation Department or legal aides, paralegals, investigators representing private firms or public agencies must be approved regardless of the time of the appointment. Hours for these persons to visit are the same as those for attorneys. These appointments must be made through the Administrator’s Office.

MEDIA VISITS

You are permitted to have visits with representatives of the media (radio, television, newspapers).    However, the Department of Corrections’ Office of Public Information must approve all requests for this type of visit in advance. Upon approval, arrangements will be made by the Administrator's Office.    Both you and the media representative will be required to complete the necessary consent forms.