Listen to this articleThe basics:
A slew of officials and stakeholders gathered in Chesterfield Township Oct. 15 to break ground on a new, state-of-the-art women’s correctional facility.
The project marks a major step in New Jersey’s ongoing efforts to modernize corrections, promote rehabilitation and provide a safe, dignified environment for incarcerated women.
The 420-bed facility will rise on a 33-acre parcel of existing New Jersey Department of Corrections property. It is located adjacent to the former Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility. The campus-style design emphasizes safety, security and a normalized environment. Additionally, it centralizes essential services such as dining, education, social services, vocational training, medical care and recreation.
Officials say the design aims to:
- Maximize safety and security;
- Centralize access to better enable family unification and visits;
- Support efficient staffing; and
- Enable greater connection to vital community resources.
Specialized housing units will accommodate a range of needs, including general security (minimum, medium and maximum), orientation and stabilization, substance use disorder treatment, rehabilitation treatment, protective custody, and general or chronic medical care. It also features a trauma-informed, normative design with services and programming aimed at supporting successful reentry.
“This new, state-of-the-art facility reflects our dedication to providing a safe, secure, and healthier environment for our state’s incarcerated women as they work toward rebuilding their lives for the better,” said Murphy. “Together with our partners, our administration is building a more trustworthy and transparent criminal justice system focused on safety, recovery, and redemption.”
Rehabilitation and reentry
New Jersey Department of Corrections Commissioner Victoria Kuhn said the groundbreaking signifies a major step toward modernizing and establishing best practices for the incarceration of women in New Jersey.
“By constructing a purpose-built facility, we are creating the normative conditions that are conducive to rehabilitation, successful reentry, and improved conditions for our staff, the women in our custody, and the broader public,” said Kuhn.
The facility represents the culmination of two years of collaboration by a multi-agency task force. It builds on commitments made following the closure of the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women. Murphy announced that shuttering in 2021.
In addition to modernizing infrastructure, the project is expected to save the state more than $160 million in deferred maintenance and capital costs associated with the previous site.
‘Second chances’
Community and faith leaders, criminal justice reform advocates and formerly incarcerated women were also on hand for the groundbreaking. They highlighted the significance of the project.
Bonnie Kerness, member of the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility Board of Trustees, said, “Today marks more than just groundbreaking of a new women’s facility – it’s the foundation of second chances, growth, and empowerment. This space will not only house women, but also build hope, healing, and new beginnings.”
Honored to be in Chesterfield today as we replace the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility with a new, modern, and safe campus.
This new state-of-the-art facility will maximize safety and security while improving conditions for incarcerated women, their families, and @NJ_DOC staff. pic.twitter.com/ROB1AQ120k
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) October 15, 2025
Myrna Diaz, a commutation recipient formerly incarcerated at Edna Mahan, reflected on her own experience.
“While at Edna, I was able to graduate with a degree from Rutgers University and the NJ-Step program and flourish as a paralegal – skills and experiences that I currently use at my present job to help others,” said Diaz. “May this new facility provide an even bigger opportunity for incarcerated women to continue changing their lives for the better!”
“This groundbreaking marks the next step forward: the beginning of an even more progressive facility, one designed not just to house women, but to honor their humanity, their rehabilitation, and their return to community,” said Pamela “Pastor Pam” Boykin Jones, founder and CEO, Communities in Cooperation Inc. “So today, as the plans for a new facility unfold and we break ground, we don’t just break earth — we break barriers, we break silence, and we break open the way to a more humane future.”
