East Jersey State Prison


East Jersey State Prison is a maximum security prison operated by the New Jersey Department of Corrections in Avenel, Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. It was established in 1896 as Rahway State Prison, and was the first reformatory in New Jersey, officially opening in 1901. It housed 1,227 inmates . As of 2025, its population is now 1,049.

General information

Buildings and Grounds

Operational Information

  • Originally, inmates were categorized on a conduct-based "grading" system, in which inmates at different grade levels were granted varying privileges. Each inmate received a book of rules and regulations detailing expected appropriate behavior and the consequences of violating the rules. All inmates entered the system at the "second grade" level with the opportunity to advance or to be demoted.
  • In the first years of operation, inmates woke at 5:45 a.m. with lights out at 9 p.m. Their typical day consisted primarily of school and/or work. Students went to classes for half the day and worked the other half. The prison offered vocational training and jobs, including tailoring, cooking, shoe-making, printing, electrical work, farming/gardening, plumbing, and painting.
  • The Education Department of East Jersey State Prison offers a variety of programs to the inmates. Vocational training courses include auto-body, auto mechanics, culinary arts, painting and decorating, and horticulture. The prison offers primary education and secondary education courses to the inmates. Inmates who are high school or GED graduates can take college classes offered through Union County College's "Project Inside" program.

History

New Jersey Reformatory

  • In 1895, the New Jersey Legislature voted to establish the state's first reformatory, named the New Jersey Reformatory.
  • The New Jersey Reformatory opened in 1901, housing 193 men between the ages of 16 and 30.
  • In 1912, the number of inmates had increased to 525.
  • In 1928, enrollment increased to 745. Of the 514 prisoners admitted during 1928, 304 were under twenty years of age, 164 were twenty to twenty-four, and 46 were from twenty-five to twenty-nine years old, with a racial breakdown of 406 White and 108 African-American.
  • The first superintendent, J. E. Heg, served only for a year. He was succeeded by Joseph W. Martin, who led the institution until his death in 1909. Martin was succeeded by Dr. Frank Moore, who retired in 1929.

Construction and Building Upgrades

  • Architect John Rochester Thomas, designed the original prison in 1895 and construction began on state-owned property, known as Edgar Farm in 1896.
  • By 1908, there were two four-tiered cell houses. One cell house contained 256 cells measuring 9'x5'x8.6'H, while the other had 384 cells that were only 7.1'x5'x8'H. A 1928 inspection reported that the cells were equipped "with a fair quality of toilet and lavatory."
  • In 1929, with the opening of nearby reformatories at Annandale and Bordentown, Rahway State Prison changed from a reformatory to a prison for adult males.
  • In 1930, construction began on additions to the institution. Between 1931 and 1932, industrial and laundry buildings were added.
  • in 1932, the dormitory, "Two Wing", was built, housing 300 men, increasing the prison's capacity to 900 inmates.
  • In 1951, Rahway's capacity was furthered increased to 1,000, when the last wing, "Three Wing", was constructed. As years passed, renovation on the institution continued.
  • In 1967, one of the old buildings was improved and made into "Five Wing".
  • From 1985 to 1988, trailers were erected and old buildings renovated for housing and dining facilities. These new additions became "Six, Seven, and Eight Wings".
  • Around 2008, the yellow paint was removed from the brick of wings 1–4, restoring the brick aesthetics of the original 1896 building.

Riots and escapes

  • From April 17–22, 1952, prisoners took officers hostage during a riot after officers beat inmates with nightsticks. The riot ended when the inmates were gassed.
  • In 1971, on Thanksgiving Day, 500 inmates held 6 hostages, including the warden, for 24 hours. Six officers were injured, three with stab wounds in the early hours of the riot. The inmates demanded a more sufficient diet, regulation of commissary prices, improvement of the educational system and vocation training, better discipline of officers, and additional medicine supplies including aspirin. Ultimately, the prison was retaken with no loss of life and the captives were set free without the use of firearms.
  • On August 11, 1972, three convicted murderers escaped by sawing through the bars of a third-floor window. Three officers were held responsible for the escape and suspended.
  • In August 1980, in an effort to reduce the numbers of escapes, the prison issued gray prison uniforms to the prisoners.

Name change

On November 30, 1988, Rahway State Prison was renamed East Jersey State Prison. The change was lobbied by Rahway citizens, who claimed the name stigmatized the city and affected property values. Nevertheless, the prison is still commonly referred to by its former name.

In popular culture

East Jersey State has established a reputation in popular culture due to its notorious and formidable living conditions, longevity and high profile inmates. The prison has been a common setting for many documentaries, fictional movies, TV programs, music recordings and music videos. It also has been referenced in multiple books, news programs and songs.

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter">Rubin Carter">Rubin "Hurricane" Carter

Rubin Carter was a former middleweight fighter who was convicted and sentenced to two life terms for murder and spent over 18 years at Rahway. While imprisoned, Carter wrote an autobiography called The Sixteenth Round: From Number One Contender to Number 45472, which was published in 1975. The book became instrumental in having his convictions overturned. The book made Carter's struggle become a cause célèbre, motivating legendary boxer Muhammad Ali to lead a march of 1600 people to the New Jersey state capital building in Trenton on his behalf on October 17, 1975.

Chuck "Bayonne Bleeder" Wepner">Chuck Wepner">Chuck "Bayonne Bleeder" Wepner

Chuck Wepner was a heavyweight boxer in the 1960s-70s whose notable loss to Muhammad Ali in 1975 became the inspiration for Sylvester Stallone's Oscar winning movie Rocky. Stallone named the main character for his 1989 film "Lock Up" after Wepner. Stallone met with Wepner during filming at the prison, when he was an inmate. Wepner was also the inspiration for the major motion pictures, Chuck (2016) and The Brawler (2019).
Other High-profile professional boxers who were incarcerated at the prison:

Music

Television

  • In 1999, in the HBO series,The Sopranos, East Jersey State Prison is mentioned by the character Sean Gismonte.
  • On May 8, 2000, The History Channel's program The Big House, hosted by Paul Sorvino aired an exposé of the history of EJSP
  • In 2003, the prison is mentioned in an episode of Arrested Development. Character, George Bluth is concerned for his prison's softball team because they are "playing Rahway next week."
  • In 2008, Rahway State Prison is mentioned in the Flavor of Love 3 episode, "Neverwed Game". Guest star, Arsenio Hall comments on Flavor Flav's clothes, saying that Flav looks good in the color orange, as long as it does not say "Rahway" across the front.
  • In 2010, Rahway Prison is mentioned in Season 1, Episode 9 of Boardwalk Empire. As James Darmondy is escorted to a cell, he passes a friend Billy. Billy is upset as he is being sent "up river, to Rahway".

Books

  • Rubin "Hurricane" Carter's autobiography, The Sixteenth Round: From Number One Contender to Number 45472, was published in 1975.
  • The best-selling biography Hurricane: The Miraculous Journey of Rubin Carter was written by James S. Hirsch in 2000.

Movies

East Jersey State Prison's distinctive architecture and proximity to New York City has created a preferable filming location and a cultural nexus for many feature films and documentaries over the last several decades. Some of these films include:
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000sPrimary Suspect (2000) - Starring William Baldwin and Lee Majors
2010s
2020s
  • The Many Saints of Newark (2021) - A film prequel to the HBO series, The Sopranos, in which Tony's father, John, is sentenced to four years in 'Rahway State Prison'.