LONG BRANCH AARP TOURS MONMOUTH COUNTY JAIL

Nine members of the Long Branch Chapter of A.A.R.P. traveled by bus to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold Township to take a tour of the county jail. This hearty group of seniors, led by President Nancy Jones and including AARP member and Long Branch City Council vice-president Dr. Mary Jane Celli, were welcomed to the jail by Warden William Fraser and Undersheriff Ted Freeman, representing Sheriff Shaun Golden.

The tour started in the Training Room inside the jail where Warden Fraser commented on the extensive training and in-service training requirement of corrections officers and explained the duties, responsibilities and challenges faced by corrections officers.

Warden Fraser, Lieutenant Daniel Baker and Officer Jeffrey Equils escorted the group through the entire facility including the booking area, where all inmates are processed into and out of the jail. One of the highlights of the tour was the group entering a fully operational and occupied pod of 64 inmates and, at their request, the group visited a cell within that pod.

At the conclusion of the tour, the group commented on the cleanliness and quietness in the jail. Warden Fraser explained that as a result of the direct supervision management philosophy at the jail, and the professionalism of the corrections officers and staff, that the Monmouth County Jail is one of the largest and best run jails in the country.