South Woods State Prison

South Woods State Prison
Location	Bridgeton, New Jersey
Status	Open
Security class	medium & maximum
Capacity	3327
Opened	1997
Managed by	New Jersey Department of Corrections

South Woods State Prison is a state prison for male offenders located in Bridgeton, Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. It is operated by the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

History

In the 1990s state officials planned to open a new prison in southern New Jersey. Officials planned to select one of several proposed sites in Camden County, Cumberland County, and Gloucester County. State officials narrowed the proposed sites to Bridgeton and Millville in Cumberland County. In 1992 officials said that they selected Bridgeton over Millville as the site for the proposed prison.^[1]

South Woods State Prison opened in 1997 and is the newest, as well as the largest, prison in New Jersey.^[2] When officials from the City of Bridgeton heard of a state report proposing to move over 1,000 prisoners from Riverfront State Prison in Camden to South Woods, Bridgeton officials opposed the plans.^[3]

There were 3,363 inmates of various custodial levels as of 2010.^[4]

Facilities

The Bureau of State Use Industry operates footwear, clothing, printing/graphics, signs and decals/binders shops at the facility.

Notable Inmates

Inmate Name	Register Number	Status	Details
Richard Cottingham	000378516A	Serving 3 life sentences plus 117.5 years.	Serial Killer who was convicted in the early 1980's of 5 murders that happened between 1977-1980.^[5]^[6] In 2022, Cottingham has confessed to numerous other murders.^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]

Nathaniel Harvey: was convicted of raping and murdering a woman in Plainsboro Township and sentenced to death; his death sentence was overturned after Governor Jon Corzine abolished the death penalty in 2007. Died in prison in 2020.^[11]

References

^ "BRIDGETON CHOSEN OVER MILLVILLE AS MEDIUM-SECURITY PRISON SITE." The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 2, 1992. South Jersey S07 Local. Retrieved on September 27, 2011. "Bridgeton has been chosen over a neighboring southern New Jersey community as the site for a $150 million medium-security state prison, a Florio administration source said yesterday." and "Department of Corrections spokeswoman Patricia Mulcahy said the search for a site had been narrowed to Bridgeton and Millville, both in Cumberland County. Other sites in Camden and Gloucester Counties were eliminated[...]"
^ "Contact Us." New Jersey Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 27, 2011. "When SWSP opened in the spring of 1997, it became the Department of Corrections' newest and largest facility."
^ Martins, John. "Bridgeton doesn't want Camden's state inmates." The Press of Atlantic City. May 23, 2007. Retrieved on September 27, 2011. "City officials on Tuesday night condemned what they say is a state plan to relocate more than 1,000 inmates from Camden's Riverfront State Prison to one of the county's three state prisons."
^ http://www.state.nj.us/corrections/pdf/offender_statistics/2010/TOTAL_NJDOC_Residents_2010.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ Upi (1981-07-25). "THE REGION; 173-Year Sentence In Jersey Murder". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
^ "THE CITY; Killer of 2 Is Guilty Of 3 More Slayings". The New York Times. 1984-07-10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
^ Kanzler, Kaitlyn. "No sentence 'will truly be enough,' NY judge tells 'Torso Killer,' who admits to 5 more murders". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
^ "'Torso Killer' Pleads Guilty to Killing N.Y. Dance Instructor, Confesses to 4 More Murders". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
^ "Richard Cottingham, serial killer known as the "Torso Killer," admits murdering 5 women decades ago, including 23-year-old mom - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
^ Shanahan, Ed (2022-12-06). "'Torso Killer' Admits to '68 Strangling and 4 More Cold-Case Murders". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
^ DNA ties man who died in prison to 1984 NJ killing, AG says. CBS News. April 30, 2023.

External links

39°24′47″N 75°12′27″W / 39.4131°N 75.2076°W / 39.4131; -75.2076

[1] "BRIDGETON CHOSEN OVER MILLVILLE AS MEDIUM-SECURITY PRISON SITE." The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 2, 1992. South Jersey S07 Local. Retrieved on September 27, 2011. "Bridgeton has been chosen over a neighboring southern New Jersey community as the site for a $150 million medium-security state prison, a Florio administration source said yesterday." and "Department of Corrections spokeswoman Patricia Mulcahy said the search for a site had been narrowed to Bridgeton and Millville, both in Cumberland County. Other sites in Camden and Gloucester Counties were eliminated[...]"

[2] "Contact Us." New Jersey Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 27, 2011. "When SWSP opened in the spring of 1997, it became the Department of Corrections' newest and largest facility."

[Martins-3] Martins, John. "Bridgeton doesn't want Camden's state inmates." The Press of Atlantic City. May 23, 2007. Retrieved on September 27, 2011. "City officials on Tuesday night condemned what they say is a state plan to relocate more than 1,000 inmates from Camden's Riverfront State Prison to one of the county's three state prisons."

[totalresidents-4] ttp://www.state.nj.us/corrections/pdf/offender_statistics/2010/TOTAL_NJDOC_Residents_2010.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}

[5] Upi (1981-07-25). "THE REGION; 173-Year Sentence In Jersey Murder". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-22.

[6] "THE CITY; Killer of 2 Is Guilty Of 3 More Slayings". The New York Times. 1984-07-10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-16.

[7] Kanzler, Kaitlyn. "No sentence 'will truly be enough,' NY judge tells 'Torso Killer,' who admits to 5 more murders". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-01-22.

[8] "'Torso Killer' Pleads Guilty to Killing N.Y. Dance Instructor, Confesses to 4 More Murders". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2024-01-22.

[9] "Richard Cottingham, serial killer known as the "Torso Killer," admits murdering 5 women decades ago, including 23-year-old mom - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2024-01-22.

[10] Shanahan, Ed (2022-12-06). "'Torso Killer' Admits to '68 Strangling and 4 More Cold-Case Murders". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-22.

[11] DNA ties man who died in prison to 1984 NJ killing, AG says. CBS News. April 30, 2023.

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v t e New Jersey Department of Corrections prisons
State prisons	Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center Bayside State Prison East Jersey State Prison Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women♀ Garden State Youth Correctional Facility Mid-State Correctional Facility New Jersey State Prison Northern State Prison Southern State Correctional Facility South Woods State Prison Special Treatment Unit William H. Fauver Youth Correctional Facility
Closed (partial list)	Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility Central Reception and Assignment Facility Riverfront State Prison
Prisons are for men unless they are marked as for women (♀)

History

Facilities

Notable Inmates

See also

References

External links