Cost of Incarceration

 Excerpts
With its new facility, Cumberland County may see an increase in the yearly cost per inmate, from $52,545 to either $60,750 or $63,947, depending on the how many inmates it will hold.

In Cape May County, that cost could increase from $32,857 to $35,937. In Atlantic County, the yearly cost per inmate was calculated at $29,674.

While the yearly costs per inmate in the Cumberland and Cape May County jails are higher than average, Atlantic County is well below. According to a May 2015 report from the Vera Institute of Justice, the annual cost per incarcerated individual averaged $47,057 in the 35 jurisdictions that responded to the nonprofit’s survey, which takes into account county size, staffing and salary ratios and prison populations. The Press of Atlantic City calculated the cost by dividing the yearly budget by the total inmate capacity.

Atlantic County jail Warden David Kelsey said there are no plans to build a new facility but that steady repairs and maintenance have kept the buildings on Atlantic Avenue in Mays Landing strong.

Current projects include repairing and replacing the roof and remodeling the inmate kitchen center, he said, adding that the population hasn’t been at capacity since 2009.

“We’ve been diligent in their maintenance, and we’ve been doing repairs to the infrastructure,” Kelsey said. “Our building is in good shape.”

https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/cost-of-incarceration-south-jersey-jails-by-the-numbers/article_7ca40896-d67f-5b2f-9a06-a75e654aa2dc.html