Bayside State Prison inmates face extreme heat, overcrowding, report says

A watchdog report says temperatures can reach the mid-90s inside cells and common areas, while inmates are often housed two to a cell and eat meals in their cells.

Summer temperatures can climb into the mid-90s inside cells and common areas at Bayside State Prison, where inmates eat all their meals in their cells and are often housed two to a cell designed for one person.

Those conditions are detailed in a new report released June 23 by the state Office of the Corrections Ombudsperson, which renewed calls for lawmakers to fund air conditioning at the prison and highlighted concerns about overcrowding, staffing shortages, and the continued closure of the facility’s dining hall.

Inspectors from the ombudsperson’s office gave the prison in Maurice River Township, Cumberland County, generally favorable marks for complying with state laws, regulations, and best practices. But they also identified longstanding infrastructure problems, staffing shortages, and quality-of-life concerns.

One of the most significant concerns is the lack of a functioning dining hall at the prison, which houses about 1,270 inmates. According to the report, prisoners eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner inside their cells, often using beds and footlockers as tables.

“A considerable loss to the overall operations of the facility is the closure of the dining hall,” inspectors wrote. “This critical piece of infrastructure is not in operation, which has resulted in a practice of serving people all three meals in their cells.”

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The ombudsperson recommended reopening the dining hall and suggested that inmates be allowed to eat in housing unit day rooms or outdoor courtyards when weather permits, if reopening the dining hall is not feasible.

In a response letter provided to The Jersey Vindicator, Department of Corrections Commissioner Victoria Kuhn rejects those recommendations.

Kuhn said the facility’s cafeteria was closed in 1997 after an inmate murdered a corrections officer. She said the department determined last year that reopening the cafeteria was “not logistically feasible due to the constraints imposed by the physicality of the space, the prohibitive cost of transforming that space, the need for additional staff, and the negative impact on safety and security as a result of having large groups of incarcerated persons in the dining area at one time.”

She also said outdoor dining is “not a feasible option” because of security concerns.

Kuhn said reopening the hall also would require additional staff time to move inmates to and from meals, potentially reducing opportunities for programming, recreation, and prison jobs.

Inspectors compiled the report after visiting the prison’s housing units, kitchen, medical clinic, laundry facilities, and storage areas in October 2025 and January 2026.

They also reviewed records, toured the facility, conducted an anonymous survey, completed 126 cell-to-cell interviews, and spoke with seven inmate representatives and several staff members.

Overall, inspectors scored Bayside at 77% on a scale used to measure compliance with state laws, regulations, and best practices.

When inspectors returned for a follow-up visit, that score increased to 85%.

According to the report, the score reflects compliance with standards related to laundry and linens, communications, fire safety, and individual living conditions, as well as efforts by prison administrators to address problems identified by inspectors.

A crowded, hot prison

Despite the positive assessment, inspectors identified several ongoing concerns at the prison, which was originally designed to house 504 inmates but now holds more than twice that number.

Among the issues cited were double-celling inmates in single-occupancy cells, birds entering the kitchen through overhead doors, old, decrepit mattresses, and dirty showers.

The ombudsperson’s office recommended hiring professional cleaners for kitchen equipment and conducting regular deep cleanings of the showers.

According to the report, prison officials addressed some problems between visits by distributing new mattresses, replacing kitchen floor mats, installing new shower curtains, adding barriers to loading dock doors, and replacing exhaust fans and vents.

Kuhn said the department is seeking bids for professional cleaning services to provide ongoing deep cleaning of the kitchen and shower areas.

Prisoners generally reported feeling safe. According to the report, 87% of interviewees said they never witnessed a fight in their housing unit. Disciplinary records also showed a relatively small number of fights and assaults.

Still, according to the ombudsperson’s office, housing two people in cells designed for one has left inmates with “significantly less storage and personal space.”

Inspectors also highlighted the prison’s lack of air conditioning. According to the report, temperatures can climb into the mid-90s inside cells and common areas during hot summer weather.

Ombudsperson Terry Schuster reiterated in an email that lawmakers should fund air conditioning upgrades despite an estimated cost of nearly $65 million.

“We recommended investing in air conditioning for the facilities that don’t have it,” Schuster wrote. “We continue to urge lawmakers to provide funding for air conditioning at Bayside State Prison.”