Morris Co. Jail Will House Female Inmates From Sussex Co.

MORRISTOWN, NJ — The Morris County Correctional Facility will begin housing female inmates from Sussex County as part of a shared services agreement, county officials said.

The County Board of Freeholders approved the agreement at a Wednesday night meeting. A minimum of five female inmates daily from Sussex will now be housed in Morris County, at a cost of $105 per inmate per day. The agreement goes into effect on April 1, and is set to run through March 31, 2022.

"This is another example of smart business through shared services. We have a sophisticated operation at our correctional facility and this gives us an opportunity to cut our operating costs with the additional revenue from Sussex County," Morris Co. Sheriff James Gannon said.

Under the agreement, Morris County will make five beds available daily, and Sussex County will pay for those beds, even if there are not five female inmates at a time. The Morris County jail was built to hold 524 inmates, but now has about 200 daily inmates.

Sussex County jail, called the Keogh-Dwyer Correctional Facility, has seen a sharp decline in inmates since bail reform went into effect in 2017. Before reform, the jail has about 150 inmates daily; now, they have about 75. The facility also needs significant repairs, officials said.

Some other key points of the agreement include:

• The Sussex County Sheriff's Office will be responsible for transporting the inmates to and from Morris County.
• Morris County will provide emergency services for any inmates from Sussex County, but Sussex County will be responsible for covering the costs.
• Sussex County inmates will have access to the educational and substance abuse programs already up and running, as well as the Successful Transition and Re-Entry Program (STAR) for life post-incarceration.