Newark Closes Green Street Jail: Suicides, Rats Reported

NEWARK, NJ — Newark will have a much-needed new start for hundreds of prisoners in 2017 now that the city has closed the notorious Green Street municipal holding facility after years of complaints, officials say.

The old facility – located in the former police headquarters basement at 31 Green Street – has experienced “serious problems with overcrowding and sanitation” for decades, according to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.

Authorities have reported at least seven suicides within the last decade at the Green Street cellblock, and a U.S. Department of Justice investigation found a range of alleged issues including a lack of proper training for officers, NJ.com reported.

Other alleged issues at the jail include rodent infestation and procedures for preventing suicides not being followed.

According to city officials, the new municipal processing unit, located at 480 Clinton Avenue in the Department of Public Safety Headquarters, will include features such as:

• “An advanced, state-of-the-art security system, specifically designed for processing detainees”
• “An interlocking sally port for securely transporting detainees from vehicles into the unit”
• “A centralized control room for viewing the activities of detainees”
• “Increased detainee space”
• “An extensive camera system that will enable the monitoring and recording of activities within the facility”
• “Cell doors without bars to limit attempted suicides”

The new processing facility will be staffed by Newark police officers and civilian employees, and will accommodate up to 82 detainees - 73 men and nine women - versus the Green Street cell block, which was set up to hold 50 men and eight women.

Detainees will be received at the new Clinton Avenue facility “within the next 90 days,” officials stated on Dec. 20.

“I am pleased that Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose took the initiative to close Green Street and replace it with a humane, advanced, state-of-the-art facility,” Baraka said. “And by centralizing the processing of detainees in one place, this new facility will save money and add to police efficiency enabling more officers to patrol our streets.”

Photos: City of Newark / Newark Police Division

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