NJ jail guards push to expand isolated confinement. Critics call for ‘humane’ alternatives.

A lawmaker who proposed expanding isolated confinement to punish inmates who assault officers got lots of pushback at a Thursday hearing.

By: Dana DiFilippo

Outlets: New Jersey Monitor

Published: October 16, 2026

Words: 1,155

Last Updated: 1 day, 15 hours ago

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New Jersey lawmakers and prison officials have tried multiple strategies to stop inmates from assaulting officers behind bars, from installing “splashguards” in cells’ food ports to prevent troublemakers from hurling bodily fluids at staff to heightening penalties against attackers and requiring them to be tested for contagious diseases.

But a state legislator who wants to further punish abusive inmates by expanding isolated confinement encountered impassioned pushback Thursday — about two hours’ …

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