Bill Text: NJ S4232 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: "New Jersey Prison Libraries Act"; establishes "Prison Libraries Fund" and appropriates $1 million.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-05-14 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [S4232 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-S4232-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
"New Jersey Prison Libraries Act"; establishes "Prison Libraries Fund" and appropriates $1 million.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing the "Prison Libraries Fund" to provide library services to incarcerated individuals, supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes, and appropriating $1 million.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "New Jersey Prison Libraries Act."
2. a. There is established in the Department of Corrections a special, non-lapsing fund to be known as the "Prison Libraries Fund."
b. The fund shall be administered by the department and shall be credited with monies appropriated thereto by section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), and other monies as may be appropriated or otherwise made available for that purpose. All interest earned on monies in the fund shall be credited to the fund.
c. The department shall use the funds to provide library materials, programs, resources, and services to incarcerated individuals.
(1) The department may use monies in the fund for the following materials and resources:
(a) hiring librarians and staff to manage the libraries and to make reasonable efforts towards building a working relationship with local public libraries, including the adoption of standardized guidelines for library management, sharing of resources and materials through an interlibrary loan agreement, and implementation of coordinated organized events and activities including the management of book donation programs and other in-kind gifts from private sources, including but not limited to non-governmental, non-profit, educational, or charitable entities or institutions;
(b) expansion of the infrastructure of prison libraries to be less restrictive, as safety allows, and more welcoming with design and d�cor;
(c) computers, including laptops, and Internet access to the extent permitted by department regulations;
(d) acquisition of modern materials and equipment that reflect the interests, identities, abilities, and languages spoken within the prison population;
(e) audiobooks and accessible reading materials for the visually impaired and print disabled;
(f) digital literary materials, including electronic books; and
(g) audio and visual materials or multimedia.
(2) The department may use monies in the fund for the following programs and services:
(a) education and job training;
(b) literary training, including digital literacy training;
(c) career readiness training;
(d) civic engagement, restorative justice, and resident-led programming;
(e) health and wellness activities;
(f) cultural exchange and appreciation programs, events, and activities;
(g) book discussion programs;
(h) language services, including free English classes;
(i) education and job training;
(j) artistic programming such as painting, creative writing, poetry slams, drama, or music;
(k) financial literacy;
(l) family literacy activities facilitated during in-person visits; and
(m) resource fairs.
d. The department may not use monies in the fund for the following:
(1) food, clothes, shoes, or hygiene supplies;
(2) payment of employee salary and benefits not associated with a prison library;
(3) medical and mental health care for incarcerated individuals;
(4) transportation of incarcerated individuals;
(5) staff training unrelated to library services;
(6) general administrative functions or operations of the prison;
(7) facility maintenance aside from the libraries;
(8) other obligations imposed by law, including establishment or maintenance of a law library; and
(9) any other use unrelated to library services, resources, and management.
3. a. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Corrections the sum of $1 million for deposit in the "Prison Libraries Fund" to effectuate the purposes and objectives of this act, P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
b. The Commissioner of Corrections is authorized to receive gifts, grants, or other financial assistance from private sources, including but not limited to non-governmental non-profit, educational, or charitable entities or institutions, or from federal funds for the purpose of funding or reimbursing the Department of Corrections for the costs associated with establishing or maintaining the materials, programs, resources, and services provide for pursuant to subsection c. of section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill); provided however, that any monies received from those gifts, grants, or other financial assistance shall be deposited in the fund established pursuant to subsection a. of section of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the "New Jersey Prison Libraries Act."
Under the bill, a special, non-lapsing fund to be known as the "Prison Libraries Fund" is created in the Department of Corrections (department) to provide library materials, programs, resources, and services to incarcerated individuals. The department may only use the funds for the library materials, programs, resources, and services enumerated in the bill.
The department may not use the fund for:
(1) food, clothes, shoes, or hygiene supplies;
(2) payment of employee salary and benefits not associated with a prison library;
(3) medical and mental health care for incarcerated individuals;
(4) transportation of incarcerated individuals;
(5) staff training unrelated to library services;
(6) general administrative functions or operations of the prison;
(7) facility maintenance aside from the libraries;
(8) other obligations imposed by law, including establishment or maintenance of a law library; and
(9) any other use unrelated to library services, resources, and management.
The bill appropriates $1 million from the General Fund to the Department of Corrections for deposit in the "Prison Libraries Fund" to effectuate the purposes and objectives of the bill. The bill authorizes the department to receive gifts, grants, or other financial assistance from private sources, including but not limited to non-governmental non-profit, educational, or charitable entities or institutions, or from federal funds for the purpose of funding or reimbursing the department for the costs associated with establishing or maintaining the library materials, programs, resources, and services; provided however, any monies received from those gifts, grants, or other financial assistance is required to be deposited in the "Prison Libraries Fund."
