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Cumberland County Courthouse, Bridgeton

(File Photo)

Bail reform and the need for a more modern facility to house inmates have prompted several counties to jointly examine the idea of creating a regional jail in South Jersey.

Five counties -- Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland and Gloucester -- have joined together to take part in a 10- to 12-month study to assess the feasibility of a regional jail somewhere in South Jersey. County officials would not speculate on any potential locations.

With a 4-to-1 vote Tuesday night, the Cumberland County Board of Chosen Freeholders approved a resolution to join the four other counties in the study.

"Our jail is very antiquated, and I think a more modern jail is a good idea," Freeholder Tom Sheppard said Tuesday night.

Officials said the counties will contribute roughly $160,000 toward the study, which will be billed by Burlington County as invoices for the work conducted.

Those funds will go toward a Trenton-based architectural firm/consulting agency -- Vaughn Collaborative -- which will begin the process by bringing stakeholders in each county together to examine their needs, officials said.

Cumberland County Freeholder Director Joe Derella said Tuesday night that Vaughn Collaborative will bring back its findings and recommendations for the counties to review and consider further options.

Eric Arpert, spokesman for Burlington County, said Wednesday that the condition of the Burlington County Jail is also among the reasons it is pursuing the regional jail idea.

"All five counties, we are all facing similar concerns," Arpert said. "We have an aging jail, and we are (looking) at what are the best and most cost efficient ways of running a jail. We are hoping the study gives us more options, innovative ways ... that's what the study is all about."

Camden County spokesman Dan Keashen said, "a modern facility would be ideal to service the inmate population."

He also said bail reform is a primary factor in the county's decision to get involved.

This past June, legislation was approved by the state Assembly Judiciary Committee to reform bail in New Jersey. According to the legislation on bail reform, rather than the release of an inmate based on a determined amount of money, release would be based on the level of risk to the public and ability to show up for court hearings, previous reports said.

The measure will not officially go into effect until 2017.

Atlantic County Administrator Gerald DelRosso said bail reform is central to Atlantic County's decision to get involved in the study.

DelRosso said the Atlantic County Jail once had nearly 1,200 inmates, but today houses only about 750 on average.

He said bail reform has vastly contributed to the reduction of inmates at the Atlantic County Jail, and said the county is interested in knowing more about how bail reform will affect its jail before officially taking effect.

"Our jail population is ... down roughly 400 people in the jail," DelRosso said. "Other things could happen; could we take inmates from other locations, make some revenue, could we close part of (our) jail down ... those are things we have to look at."

Cumberland County officials on Tuesday said they were surprised that Salem County chose not to participate in the study. However, it appears Salem County has separate plans that include expanding its county jail in the future.

Salem County Freeholder Dale Cross, a Republican, said on Tuesday that Salem County is content with its current agreement with Gloucester County to house Gloucester County inmates at the Salem County Correctional Facility, in Mannington, which took effect on June 1, 2013.

At that time, Salem and Cumberland entered into a shared services agreement with Gloucester County to bring Gloucester County's inmates into both county jails for a fee.

In May 2014, the Salem County Board of Chosen Freeholders voted to authorize a 10-year extension of the contract it currently has with Gloucester County.

That contract appears to be ironclad, Gloucester County officials said.

As for Gloucester County, though it is no longer housing inmates at its jail, officials said it is exploring all options to see if there are any additional savings in the future.

"Gloucester County is out of the jail business," said Gloucester County spokeswoman Debra Sellitto. "However, we are keenly interested in the success of any regionalization with regards to corrections."

She added: "As leaders, in regionalization, it is in the county's best interest to explore all options and this study is a great opportunity for Gloucester County to find if there are further savings down the line. We will continue to send inmates from the county to all of the correctional facilities that we have contracts with. If down the line it makes sense for us to change our options, then we will explore that at the appropriate time."

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Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@southjerseymedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.