Mercer County will be taking a second look at the proposal to transfer inmates to Hudson County.
Mercer County is to be commended on its decision to further study its plan to send the bulk of its county jail inmates to Hudson County; a move that would result in the loss of about 200 jobs.
In early February, Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes announced his intention to send the roughly 600 inmates at the County Correction Center in Hopewell Township to Hudson County's jail. Mercer would pay Hudson County about $21 million per year to house, feed, educate and look after the health of its inmates under the terms of a two-year contract.
Hughes cited the high maintenance costs of what he called an obsolete jail that dates back to the 1960s and has reached its expansion limits.
The plan would result in the jail being reduced to an intake and processing center, with the county saving $20 million once the program was up and running, county officials said.
The proposal, however, drew sharp criticism from the unions that represent correction officers and from others. They pointed out that the plan would be a big financial blow for the hundreds of laid off workers who contribute to the county's economy.
Mercer to study jail transfer proposal
They also disputed how much the county would save, saying that the plan failed to account for unforeseen future costs.
Shortly after the plan to outsource jail services was announced, this paper urged both sides to step back and allow a third party to conduct an independent review of the county's jail operations.
Thankfully that counsel has been taken to heart.
Mercer County recently announced it has decided to hire consultants to study two parts of its plan to relocate inmates.
The first would look at the immediate shifting of inmates to Hudson County and the second would study where to possibly build a new jail in Mercer County.
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The news brought a sigh of relief from union officials representing county corrections officers.
Ray Peterson, president of PBA Local 167, welcomed the news and said he looked forward to more information and working with the county.
The unions had urged the county to take a more measured approach to any plans to transfer inmates.
The county also took a more conciliatory stance.
"A number of questions were raised concerning the staffing requirements, inmate transport and financial reports," the county said in a statement. "We welcome outside scrutiny and we believe our analysis will be born out, and our goal is that an outside consultant will put some finality to the figures we've brought to the table."
The second study may have an even more far-reaching impact. It raises the prospect of building a new jail, something that earlier was considered too expensive. Mercer is a member of a multi-county regional jail feasibility study in partnership with Burlington, Camden, Cumberland and Atlantic counties.
As we pointed out before, this regional approach may yield a more cost-effective and humane way to incarcerate inmates.