Sheriff: Aging Atlantic County Jail Needs Major Renovation, Expansion or Replacement

MAYS LANDING — Atlantic County Sheriff Joe O'Donoghue says the county's aging jail needs substantial improvements and county officials ultimately face a choice: dramatically renovate it, expand it or build a new facility.

O'Donoghue discussed conditions at the Atlantic County jail Thursday during an appearance on Off the Press on WOND with state Assemblyman Don Guardian.

“The jail, the facility's old and it needs a lot,” O'Donoghue said.

The sheriff said the issue goes beyond the conditions experienced by inmates and includes the difficult working environment facing correctional officers.

“How about the caretakers? How about the officers that are there?” O'Donoghue said. “The correctional police — difficult job.”

O'Donoghue has firsthand experience inside the facility, telling Guardian that he previously worked there for two years when the jail was part of the Sheriff's Office.

He said staffing has been a significant challenge.

“They were getting stuck, double shifts, triple shifts, you know, crazy things — overtime, overtime,” O'Donoghue said. “It's only so good for so long. And then you get battle weary.”

O'Donoghue said he believes progress has been made on the staffing problem.

“I think they've got that worked out now,” he said. “They've made the same changes and are making changes constantly.”

But the physical condition of the jail presents a much larger issue.

“The conditions are tough,” O'Donoghue said. “The jail, the facility's old and it needs a lot.”

He said the long-term decision belongs to Atlantic County government.

“We either need to make a move somehow, some way,” O'Donoghue said. “I put that in the hands of the county administration to either greatly remodel and improve that building or add a building to it ... or build new.”

Whatever option is ultimately chosen, O'Donoghue said maintaining the status quo is not sufficient.

“We need change,” he said. “There's no doubt about it. And it demands it.”

The sheriff also pointed to the number of people currently housed at the jail.

“There's over 800 inmates in there right now,” O'Donoghue said.

He did not provide an exact current count, saying he recalled being told the population was approximately 830 or 850 inmates.

“That's a huge amount of inmates in that building,” O'Donoghue said.

O'Donoghue emphasized that corrections work can be among the most demanding assignments in law enforcement.

“It's one of the toughest jobs in law enforcement,” he said.

At the same time, O'Donoghue said working inside a correctional facility can provide valuable experience for police officers because they learn how to communicate and de-escalate difficult situations.

“I often said every cop should do a year in there,” O'Donoghue said. “You learn to think on your toes.”

The jail discussion came after a listener asked whether law enforcement agencies in Atlantic County were experiencing staffing shortages.

O'Donoghue said recruitment has been a challenge throughout law enforcement but said the Sheriff's Office recently changed its hiring process and has seen significant interest.

“We tried something different at the Sheriff's Office,” he said.

One change was moving the physical fitness portion to the beginning of the process.

“We did physicals first,” O'Donoghue said. “We took the physical. If you had the physical conditioning to come, then you could continue.”

According to the sheriff, the office recently had 244 applicants competing for 10 openings.

“So we're getting the best,” O'Donoghue said. “We're not going to compromise.”

The sheriff said the county jail has made changes of its own to address staffing, but he believes attention must now turn to the facility itself.

O'Donoghue did not endorse one specific option or provide a cost estimate for renovating, expanding or replacing the jail.

Instead, he said county administrators will ultimately have to determine which approach makes the most sense.

But on the need to address the aging facility, O'Donoghue was unequivocal.

“We need change,” he said.