Burlco to close women's jail, send inmates to Atlantic County

Burlington County will close its aging women's jail Monday and transfer the female inmates to a jail in Mays Landing, Atlantic County, more than 40 miles away, officials confirmed Tuesday.

The move is "a cost-saving initiative," projected to save Burlington County about $2 million in annual operating costs, according to Eric Arpert, county spokesman. He said the Corrections and Work Release Center in Pemberton Township houses an average of 70 to 75 female inmates a day. They are scheduled to be moved to Atlantic County's Justice Facility, which has beds for more than 1,000 male and female inmates.

The women at the Pemberton facility are either awaiting trial or are serving a sentence of less than one year.

After they are transferred, inmates will be transported back to Burlington County for mandatory court appearances and for consultations with public defenders or defense attorneys, Arpert said in an e-mail, adding, "A video link will be used for Municipal Court appearances unless a personal appearance is required."

Arpert said the county would pay Atlantic County $89.36 per day per inmate for the service.

Atlantic County Administrator Gerald DelRosso said that is the same rate the county charges the state to house inmates who remain in the jail after they are sentenced to state prison terms and are awaiting a bed.

He said the new arrangement with will benefit both counties. "To close that building saves [Burlington County] money, and in the meantime, we take on some female inmates and make some money," DelRosso said.

Ten years ago, he said, the Atlantic County facility housed nearly 1,200 inmates. Over the years, he said, county officials have worked to reduce that number and it now has about half that amount. He said many inmates are now placed on house arrest or in community programs as alternatives to incarceration.

"We are part of the regional study to see how we can consolidate the jails in five counties," DelRosso said, referring to an ongoing study involving Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, and Mercer Counties. "We want to find out how do we help each other in the southern part of the state."

Arpert said the regional jail study is still underway and is unrelated to Burlington County's new contract with Atlantic County.

Two years ago, Burlington County entered into an agreement with Gloucester County to house some of Gloucester County's male inmates when that county closed its jail. Gloucester is the only county in the state without a jail, having earlier shut down its women's facilities. It transferred all of its inmates to four other counties that had room. Officials there said Gloucester County saved more than $6 million in annual costs.

There are no plans at this time to close the Burlington County Detention Center in Mount Holly, where male inmates are housed.