STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman YVONNE LOPEZ
District 19 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Requires DOC to establish standards of habitability for prison housing units.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning prison conditions and supplementing chapter 4 of Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. (New section) The Department of Corrections shall establish standards of habitability for all prison housing units, including but not limited to all Restorative Housing Units. The standards of habitability shall meet or exceed the standards of prison habitability established by the American Correctional Association.
2. The Department of Corrections shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to effectuate the purposes of this act.
3. This act shall take effect on the 90th day following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the Department of Corrections to establish standards of habitability for all prison housing units, including but not limited to all Restorative Housing Units (“RHU”s).
RHUs house certain prison inmates who have been removed from the prison’s general population as a disciplinary measure. RHU inmates’ activities, possessions, and privileges are restricted. According to the New Jersey Office of the Corrections Ombudsperson, the RHU at Northern State Prison experiences frequent health and safety problems including, among others, sewage spills, lack of basic sanitation, poor drainage, plumbing, and ventilation, and inconsistent heating.
In a report issued in October 2024, the Office of the Corrections Ombudsperson recommended that legislation be enacted to set minimum standards for habitability of prison housing units. This bill embodies this recommendation.