East Jersey State Prison

General Information

History

In 1895, the New Jersey Legislature voted to establish the state’s first reformatory. A year later, construction began at Rahway on state property known as Edgar Farm. "Rahway State Prison" opened in 1901 and originally housed first-time male offenders between the ages of 16 and 30.

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.

The prison features a large walled compound 21 acres (85,000 m²) in size, which contains the administration building, cell houses, schoolrooms, chapel, shops, and other buildings. The prison was surrounded by hundreds of acres of farmland that the inmates worked. 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.”

New Jersey Reformatory

When the institution opened in 1901, it was called simply the New Jersey Reformatory and held 193 men. The number of inmates had increased to 525 by 1912 and to 745 by 1928. Of the 514 prisoners admitted during 1928, 304 (59%) were under twenty years of age, 164 (32%) were twenty to twenty-four, and 46 (9%) were from twenty-five to twenty-nine years old, with a racial breakdown of 406 (79%) White and 108 (21%) African-American.

Rahway was originally run on a conduct “grading” system. A book of rules and regulations supplied to each inmate when he arrived discussed what was expected of him and the consequences of violating the rules. All inmates entered the prison in the “second grade” and had the opportunity to advance or be demoted depending on their behavior. Inmates in different grades were granted different privileges.

The inmates' days at Rahway consisted primarily of school and work. They woke at 5:45 a.m. with lights out at 9 p.m. Those who had to attend school 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.

Transition to adult prison

In 1929, with the opening of nearby reformatories at Annandale (1928) and Bordentown (1937), 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. A new dormitory wing, “Two Wing,” was built in 1932. It contained two dormitories housing 150 men each, thereby 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 (textile and laundry) for housing and dining facilities. These new additions became “Six, Seven, and Eight Wings.”

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. On Thanksgiving Day in 1971, 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.

Notable Inmates

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter - (prison #45472) Carter spent over 18 years at Rahway (1967-1985). He was a well-known, former heavyweight fighter before being convicted and sentenced to two life terms for murder. Rubin wrote an autobiography while serving time at Rahway titled, The Sixteenth Round, which was published in 1975. The book became instrumental in having his convictions overturned, inspiring many to take up for Rubin's cause. In fact it made Rubins's struggle somewhat of a cause célèbre, motivating legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali, to lead a march of 1600 people to the New Jersey state capital on his behalf on October 17, 1975. Carter's book also inspired a song by popular folk rock singer-songwriter, Bob Dylan in 1975. Dylan held a concert on Rubin's behalf, called "Night of the Hurricane", playing for 20,000 people in December 1975, just 3 months before Carter's first conviction was overturned. A movie, portraying Rubin's story and starring Denzel Washington was released in 1999. The best-selling biography, Hurricane: The Miraculous Journey of Rubin Carter, was written by James S. Hirsch in 2000.

Robert Reldan - Serving a life sentence for two counts of murder.

Prison name change

On November 30, 1988, at the request of the citizens of Rahway, NJ, Rahway State Prison was renamed East Jersey State Prison. Residents claimed that being identified with the prison stigmatized the city and affected property values. However, residents in the region surrounding still refer to building by its former name.

East Jersey in popular culture

Boxing

High-profile professional boxers who were incarcerated in East Jersey State Prison:

Music

Television

Movies

East Jersey State Prison has appeared in many feature films. Its distinctive architecture, including the large dome and radial cell blocks, along with its imposing metal gates and proximity to New York City, has made it a favorable filming location.