Opinion ID: 2060673
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Commissioner's Authority to House State Prisoners in County Facilities

Text: On June 19, 1981, in response to the problem of prison overcrowding, which had reached crisis dimensions by the early 1980s, Governor Brendan Byrne issued Executive Order No. 106. Worthington, supra, 88 N.J. at 188-89, 440 A. 2d 1128. That Order declared state prison overcrowding to be an emergency under the Disaster Control Act. Id. at 188, 190, 440 A. 2d 1128. Under the authority of the emergency powers of that Act, the Order permitted the Commissioner of Corrections to alleviate the overcrowding problem temporarily by housing state-sentenced prisoners in county correctional facilities for the 90-day duration of the Order. Id. at 190-91, 440 A. 2d 1128. That Order also directed the Commissioner to develop an appropriate program to compensate those counties holding state prisoners. Id. at 191, 440 A. 2d 1128. In Worthington, supra, this Court upheld the validity of the Governor's Orders because they had a basis in legislative authority  the Disaster Control Act  as well as a limited time span. Id. at 200-02, 440 A. 2d 1128. The Court cautioned, however, that the Disaster Control Act did not permit a permanent delegation of power to the Governor to authorize the reallocation of prisoners by executive order; rather, if the Legislature wanted to change the prison housing system officially, it could pass a statute to that effect. Id. at 203, 440 A. 2d 1128. The Legislature responded by passing the County Correctional Policy Act. The CCPA attempts to address the overcrowding crisis by establishing a long-term, financial assistance program to provide State grants to participating counties to renovate and construct county correctional facilities so that county correctional services may be developed, implemented, operated and improved. N.J.S.A. 30:8-16.5(a). In return, the Act permits the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections (DOC) to house state prisoners, excluding those with anticipated periods of confinement in excess of twenty-four months and those convicted of certain sexual offenses, in medium and minimum security county facilities. N.J.S.A. 30:8-16.5(b). The counties are instructed to establish a twelve member county corrections advisory board responsible for developing a comprehensive plan to provide, among other things, for the allocation of bed space for the housing of state prisoners and for the formation of per diem reimbursement rates favorable to the State. N.J.S.A. 30:8-16.7. As noted by the Appellate Division, however, there is no indication in the record when or if such a board was constituted in Morris County. County of Morris v. Fauver, 296 N.J. Super. 26, 30 n. 3, 685 A. 2d 1342 (1996). Nevertheless, pursuant to the County Correctional Policy Act, the DOC entered into a contract for renovation and housing with the County of Morris, as well as with the following counties: Atlantic, Bergen, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hudson, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, and Union. [1] Despite the passage of the CCPA and the DOC's contracts with various counties, however, the executive prison orders still remained in effect. They were extended continuously over the next twelve years by sixteen more executive orders issued by three different governors. County of Gloucester, supra, 132 N.J. at 149, 623 A. 2d 763. Finally, in 1993, in County of Gloucester, supra, this Court held that prison overcrowding could no longer be classified as an emergency under the Disaster Control Act and, thus, the line of executive orders were no longer valid. Id. at 150, 606 A. 2d 843. The Court stated that the long-term overcrowding problem called for a more permanent legislative solution. Id. at 152, 606 A. 2d 843. In response to that observation by the Court, the Legislature passed P.L. 1994 c. 12, which declared once again that state prison overcrowding was an emergency and gave the Governor, for two years, independent statutory authority to issue executive orders deemed necessary and appropriate to respond to the crowding problem. In 1996, the Legislature extended the Governor's authority in that area for an additional two years. P.L. 1996 c. 9. Pursuant to those two statutes, two more executive orders were issued allowing the DOC to house state inmates in county facilities for appropriate compensation. Executive Order No. 16 (1994); Executive Order No. 48 (1996). Thus, from the time period around 1981 or 1982 to date, the Commissioner has had the authority to house state prisoners in county facilities through the executive orders as well as under the CCPA and financial assistance contracts with the counties.