The Record: Jail reprieve

THE COMFORT of jail inmates is not likely to top the concerns of most people, but popular or not, housing people in humane conditions is not only moral, it's the law.

Passaic County Jail.

If Passaic County officials were unaware of that in the past, they should be uncertain no more. The county just settled a federal suit that requires it to institute a series of sensible reforms at its aging and crowded jail in Paterson. The litigation, which was led by the American Civil Liberties Union and Seton Hall University's Center for Social Justice, was filed four years ago on behalf of eight inmates who complained about such things as rodent droppings in their food and beatings by officers when out of sight of security cameras.

The proposed settlement, which will be reviewed by a judge next month, obligates the county to install new fire alarm and ventilation systems, provide more space between toilets and beds, increase the medical staff and work to ease overcrowding. Some of the requirements already have been met. For example, jail population this week was 1,048, down from a high of about 1,700 five years ago. Sprinkler systems are being installed, and an upgraded air conditioning and heating system is being constructed. The work has cost $8 million so far and is expected to cost $5 million more.

That's an expensive investment, but once all the requirements are implemented, the jail will be a better place for both inmates and corrections officers. Keeping a jail as hospitable as possible helps avoid unrest. Settling litigation that has hung over the jail for four years closes a chapter for government officials in Passaic County.

But let's keep the book open.

There was a fledgling plan last summer to shut the jail and to house Passaic County inmates in newer and larger lockups in Bergen and possibly Essex counties. The deal could have saved Passaic County as much as $20 million in addition to providing Paterson with a chance to redevelop the jail site as a tax-producing project.

After some initial encouragement, the Passaic freeholders killed the idea in the face of opposition from jail employees and their union representatives. So quick was the about-face that the freeholders wouldn't even agree to formally study the proposal, a stance that rightly disappointed officials in Bergen and Essex. That impulsive and far-too-hasty decision was hardly government at its best.

Notwithstanding the financial commitment the county is now making to upgrade the Passaic jail, we remain convinced that it's prudent for officials to thoroughly investigate a shared arrangement with neighboring Bergen County. Even with new smoke detectors and a modern heating and cooling system, the Passaic County Jail is about 60 years old, and overcrowding can be a recurring problem.

Settling the suit buys Passaic County some time – time the freeholders should use to seriously explore how much money can be saved by housing county inmates in a neighboring county. We understand this is a complicated issue with many moving parts. It is worthy of study.

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The Record: Jail reprieve