The Essex County Correctional Facility (ECCF) in Newark, New Jersey is the largest county correctional institution in the state, with an inmate capacity of 2,434. This massive facility handles numerous out-of-county, state, and federal detainees awaiting trials or sentencing, playing a key role in the region's criminal justice system.
Built in 2004 and encompassing 980,000 square feet, the modern, sprawling ECCF complex is strategically located on just four acres of land in Newark's industrial Ironbound district. Adjacent to major regional highways including Route 1, the Pulaski Skyway, and the New Jersey Turnpike, this optimal positioning supports the continual transfer of inmates while connecting the jail to the county's broader transportation infrastructure.
## Detailed Breakdown of Facility Layout and Operations
The ECCF consists of four sizeable 4-story buildings, all strictly numbered:
- Building 2 has 5 pods on its lower level and 7 pods on its upper level
- Buildings 3 and 4 each contain 4 pods on both levels
- Building 5 houses 7 pods and a range of on-site inmate services
With around 2,000 to 2,200 inmates daily, the ECCF population exceeds that of many entire New Jersey municipalities. About 1,000 maximum security detainees are held here, with the remaining 1,000 inmates evenly distributed between medium and minimum-security designations.
Both adult men and women are incarcerated at the ECCF, ranging in age from 18 to 85. The facility does not accept juvenile detainees. At any given time, the ratio of male to female inmates hovers around 15 to 1.
The ECCF employs approximately 697 full-time staff members. Of these, 598 work directly in the Security Department, which includes:
- 5 Captains
- 19 Lieutenants
- 49 Sergeants
- 525 Correctional Police Officers (CPOs)
These security personnel cover inmate oversight 24/7, working 8-hour shifts:
- First Shift: 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- Second Shift: 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Third Shift: 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Staffing is highest during First Shift, when inmate intake, activity, and supervision needs peak. Required coverage then scales down during Second Shift and is lowest overnight on Third Shift after detainees are locked in their cells.
## Range of Inmate Services and Programs Offered
Inmates at the ECCF have access to a variety of services and programs during their incarceration, including:
- **Food Services:** Provided by contractor GD Correctional Services LLC, ensuring regular nutritious meals and dietary accommodations.
- **Medical Care:** Managed by CFO Health Systems, making healthcare available on-site.
- **Commissary:** Keefe Commissary operates the jail store with snacks, hygiene items, and other approved products.
- **Education and Vocation:** Classes and workshops focused on life skills, job training, literacy, and more.
- **Library:** Books, periodicals, newspapers, and other reading material maintained for detainee use.
- **Recreation:** Both indoor and outdoor recreation opportunities.
- **Religion:** Weekly services, counseling, prayer groups, and meetings for diverse faiths.
## Extensive Safety and Security Protocols
Maintaining top safety and security standards remains an utmost priority at the ECCF. The facility holds prestigious accreditations, including:
- American Corrections Association (ACA)
- Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
- National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC)
These certifications provide external validation that the jail meets industry best practices.
Ongoing upgrades like the planned installation of over 70 additional surveillance cameras also aim to eliminate blind spots and bolster supervision capacity. And compared to 2021 statistics, use of force incidents dropped notably by 39.4% from January 1 to August 31, 2022.
Moreover, the ECCF's aggressive response throughout the COVID-19 pandemic led to just one coronavirus-linked inmate death—an exceptional outcome given the detainee population topping 2,000. Masking, testing, quarantining, sanitization, and vaccination programs protected both inmates and staff.
A new tracking system called CorrStat helps jail administration analyze trends, identify issues, and make data-informed decisions to continually strengthen security.
## Visitation Policies and Communication Standards
To maintain close bonds between inmates and loved ones, the ECCF provides both in-person visitation and alternative communication options:
- **Visitation Schedule:** Friends/family can visit Wednesdays, Saturdays, Thursdays or Sundays based on housing. Visits occur on a first-come, first-served basis, with a limited number of slots available.
- **Visitation Rules:** Visitors must wear masks, pass metal detectors, present valid ID, and follow dress code guidelines. Minors require additional documentation.
- **Postal Mail:** Inmates can send/receive unlimited letters without restrictions, except for threats.
- **Money Deposits:** Acceptable through lobby kiosks or online payments. Mail money orders, cashier's checks, and certified checks also accepted.
- **Phone Communication:** Detainees make calls through a system of collect calling and pre-paid phone accounts.
## Recent Awards, Achievements and Forward Progress
In addition to major security upgrades and use of force reductions, the ECCF accomplished other milestones:
- **Staff Diversity:** Employees reflect county/inmate demographics
- **ACA Re-Accreditation:** Achieved 100% compliance on mandatory standards
- **Single COVID Death:** Despite large population
- **CorrStat System:** Enables trend analysis and data-based decisions
By maintaining exceptionally high correctional standards, ECCF administration and staff continue striving to operate a facility focused on safety, security, care, discipline, training, rehabilitation programming, and community reintegration. The ECCF exemplifies a professional county jail model relevant today and into the future.
## Frequently Asked Questions
**How do I schedule an in-person visit with an inmate at ECCF?**
In-person visits must be scheduled based on the inmate's housing unit and take place Wednesdays, Saturdays, Thursdays or Sundays. Arrive early, as slots are first come, first served. All visitors must pass security screenings and follow posted rules.
**What food and commissary options are available to inmates?**
Contracted food services provide regular nutritious meals accomodating dietary needs. The commissary offers approved snacks, hygiene items, and other products inmates can purchase.
**What types of inmates are held at the ECCF?**
The jail houses pre-trial and sentenced adult men and women ranging from minimum to maximum security levels. Most are short-term detainees awaiting transfer. Juveniles are not held here.
**How can I deposit money into an inmate's account?**
Acceptable options include lobby kiosks, online payments, money orders, cashier's checks, and certified checks made to the inmate's name and ID number.
**What is the typical daily population at the ECCF?**
The average daily population ranges from 2,000 to 2,200 inmates, which exceeds many entire municipalities in New Jersey. The official max capacity is 2,434.
Phone: 973-645-3666
Physical Address:
Essex County Correctional Center
354 Doremus Avenue
Newark, NJ 07105
Mailing Address (personal mail):
Inmate's Full Name & A-Number
Essex County Correctional Center
354 Doremus Avenue
Newark, NJ 07105
Other Jails and Prisons
When someone that is not a US Citizen gets arrested in the United States, and they are here illegally, depending on what state or city they are arrested in, the person may be turned over to ICE.
Many states such as New York and California, as well as hundreds of US cities, have declared themselves 'sanctuary cities' and do not turn over foreigners here illegally, even if they are committing crimes in their jurisdiction.
However, when an alien here illegally is turned over to ICE, and sent to one of the over 100 Immigration Detention Centers in the United States, the only way to try and locate where they are being detained is using the Online Detainee Locator System.
You can look them up using their assigned A-Number.
You can also try and look them up by using their name.
What is an ICE Detention Center?
Men, women, and children that are in the United States illegally and are apprehended by the US Border Patrol or ICE will most likely be placed in removal proceedings and may be detained in one of the more than 200 jails and detention centers that make up ICE’s detention system.
Many of the illegal immigrants that are detained are held in county and local jails that contract with ICE to detain immigrants. The rest are held in dedicated immigration detention facilities run by ICE or contracted to private prison corporations, including family detention centers that hold mothers and children.
What Determines if an Illegal Immigrant gets Detained?
ICE will typically detain an immigrant because DHS (Homeland Security) believes that an illegal immigrant is either a “flight risk” and may move to another location within the U.S. or that they pose a public safety threat. Detaining the person allows the government to guarantee that the person will show up for their hearing before an Immigration Court.
Some of the reasons that causes an illegal immigrant to get arrested and held in detention prior to their day in court is as follows:
The illegal immigrant has:
How do you find someone that is in an ICE Detention Center?
The first step to finding out if an illegal immigrant is in ICE or DHS custody is by using the ICE Detainee Locator.
It’s easier to find the person if you have an Alien Number (A#), if one exists. A green card or work permit will show this number. If you don’t have an A# the person is much more difficult to locate.
The information you will need is as follows:
If you are having difficulty, try different spellings and the order of how the name is listed.
If the illegal immigrant was only recently detained, the ICE Detainee Locator may not be updated with the latest information. Keep in mind that ICE does not give information (online or over the phone) for people under 18 years of age. In such cases, you can only get information on them from the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations field office nearest you.
If the person you are looking for is not in an ICE Detention Center, they may have been taken to a local jail that contracts with ICE, so contact their local City and County Jail, all which can be found here.
Another option, short of the expense of hiring an Immigration Lawyer, is to go to this website and use their online form to get their help.
Once an illegal immigrant is located and you find out the facility where they are being held you need to find out the Deportation Officer that has been assigned to their case. The Officer can tell you how to call or visit the detainee, or pay for the detainee to be able to call you, or how you can send any needed items such as clothing, prescriptions, etc.
The last option, and the most expensive, is to hire an experienced immigration attorney to assist you in tracking down the Deportation Officer. If the person being detained requires specific medical care, an attorney can ensure that they receive that care.
If the detained illegal immigrant has been deported from America previously or has an outstanding removal order - in which case they have no right to see an immigration judge - they can be removed within a few days, or even hours, of the initial arrest.
Even if the government does not immediately remove the person, it is possible that they can be moved around to different Detention Centers. There is never a warning that a person is being moved around and during the transfer there is a complete blackout of any information.
How long are people held in ICE Immigration Detention Centers?
The time that an illegal immigrant is held in an ICE Detention Center can vary. It all depends on several factors such as the individual’s personal situation, criminal record, the severity of the crime they are being charged with, previous deportations and the current caseload that the Detention Center is dealing with.
This image portrays the most recent data available on the time a detained illegal immigrant remains in custody before their release and/or deportation.
Can you visit someone in ICE Detention Centers?
The short answer is yes. The person visiting an illegal immigrant in an ICE Detention Center must be lawfully present in the United States. In other words the visitor must have some form of currently valid immigration status at the time of the visit. A detention center or jail will not allow the visit unless visitor can show valid I.D. and offer proof that they are lawfully in the United States.
If you want to become a volunteer that visits illegal immigrants in order to offer emotional support, it may be possible. You can join one of these visitation networks by going here and contacting the network in your area.
What crimes can cause an illegal immigrant to be deported?
(The following information comes from Nolo.com, a trusted legal resource)
These are the straightforward crimes that are mentioned in the immigration law. The statute also lists a number of security violations, such as involvement in espionage, sabotage, terrorism, Nazi persecution, totalitarian parties, and so forth.
Once an illegal immigrant is deported, how long before they can come back to the United States?
If an illegal immigrant has a deportation or removal order in their immigration file, it's possible that they won’t be allowed to enter the U.S. for five, ten, or even 20 years.
The applicable law comes from Section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (I.N.A.).
Five-Year Ban: If they were summarily removed or deported upon arrival at a U.S. port of entry because they were found inadmissible, or if they came to the U.S. but were immediately put into removal proceedings and then removed or deported, they may be ineligible to return to the U.S. for five years. The five-year ban also applies if they failed to show up for their removal hearing in the United States.
Ten-Year Ban: If a ‘removal order’ was issued at the conclusion of their removal hearing in Immigration Court, they may not be able to return for ten years after their removal or departure.
Twenty-Year Ban: If they were convicted of an aggravated felony or have received more than one order of removal, they are barred from returning to the U.S. for 20 years. And if they entered without permission after having been removed, or illegally reentered the U.S. after having previously been in the U.S. unlawfully for more than one year, they may be barred from entering the United States for 20 years or permanently.
This facility, known as "Essex County Correctional Center" is also known as ICE Detention Facility, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.