The Division of Administration provides administrative services to support the NJDOC’s mission. Primary areas of responsibility include budget and fiscal management, personnel, policy and planning, and information services.

Bureau of State Use Industries

The Bureau of State Use Industries was created in 1918 with the passage of the State Use Law, which was created through the cooperation of industry, labor and the public sector. The State Use system was established in principle within the Department of Institutions and Agencies under the State Board of Control. Activities involving large-scale production of items competitive with the private sector were curtailed, and the process of adapting selective production to the needs of the available tax-supported governmental market was begun, hence the name: State Use. In November 1976, the New Jersey Department of Corrections was established and has since regulated the activities of the bureau.

The bureau is responsible for overall planning, selection of products, management of materials and equipment, coordination of processes, distribution of products and provision of technical consultation and services. The State Use Industries program is administered without appropriated funding, and is self-supporting. The system is financed out of a revolving fund, from which all operational expenses are paid.

State Use Industries operates 21 shops and offices employing approximately 1,100 inmates from nine state correctional facilities. A wide range of products, to include bakery items, clothing, metal products, furniture and license plates, are manufactured in the industrial operations under the DEPTCOR label and are sold only to tax-supported agencies, institutions and units of state, county and municipal governments.

Through the NJDOC’s Central Office and warehouses, the bureau staff conducts operations typical to any manufacturing enterprise, including such business functions as billing, cost accounting, payroll and personnel activities, product and plant engineering, sales promotion, and the delivery of products. The ultimate goal of the bureau is to ensure customer satisfaction through an efficient and diversified manufacturing and on-the-job training operation, while reducing inmate idleness.

On-the-job training, while under the close supervision of experienced supervisors, allows inmates to gain practical experience while learning marketable skills. The bureau places the same demands on inmates that “free world” industries require of their employees -- doing the best job possible in the fastest and most efficient manner. Inmates develop a sense of responsibility toward their jobs, pride in their work and a feeling of self-worth. The bureau prepares inmates for the transition from prison jobs to careers and improves their chances of re-entry into the community.

Office of Employee Relations

The mission of the Office of Employee Relations is to develop and maintain a positive relationship between the NJDOC and its employees. The office works to guide both management and employees through the employee relations process in a constructive and efficient manner. The Office of Employee Relations responds on a daily basis to concerns raised by management and the bargaining units that represent the department’s 9,000-plus employees. The office works closely with administration, and custody and civilian staff to promptly address various workplace issues.

The Office of Employee Relations is composed of three primary units.

• The Employee Relations/Liaison Unit represents the NJDOC in contract negotiations and in the administration of 11 collective bargaining agreements. It also advises the commissioner, high-level managers, and unit supervisors in the administration of Department of Personnel rules and regulations as contained in Title 4A of the New Jersey Administrative Code. The unit reviews current case law and proposed rule changes to ensure that the department’s practices remain compliant with applicable law and regulations.
• The Due Process/Hearing Unit hears all of the department’s second-step grievances and complex departmental-level disciplinary appeals. Hearing officers render written decisions on disciplinary actions initiated by the department. In addition, the unit provides ongoing training on a variety of employee relations matters. 
• The Employment Litigation Unit assists the Office of the Attorney General and/or private counsel in their representation of the NJDOC in state and federal litigation involving allegations of employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination. The unit also represents the department before the Office of Administrative Law in disciplinary actions appeals to the Merit System Board. In addition, it represents the NJDOC at grievances and arbitrations, and regarding unfair labor practice charges filed with the Public Employment Relations Commission.
• The Ethics Unit ensures that employees of the NJDOC comply with statutes, rules, regulations and legal authority that establish the standards for ethical conduct of all employees. To enhance awareness and understanding of the standards of conduct with which state employees must comply during the course of their employment, the ethics unit provides employees with state statutes and regulations regarding ethics, to include the Uniform Code of Ethics and Plain Language Guide. In addition, the unit reviews employee applications for attendance at events and secondary employment to ensure compliance with the conflict-of-interest law.

Office of Financial Management

The Office of Financial Management identifies current and future NJDOC fiscal resources and monitors the expenditure of available funds.

The office is comprised of the following bureaus/units:

• Bureau of Budget and Fiscal Planning compiles annual operating budgets that reflect the needs of the NJDOC, as required by legislative mandate. The bureau provides fiscal analysis of current year activity and compiles quarterly spending plans that report on the fiscal status of the department. In addition, it monitors the levels of spending via account/spending analysis; provides detailed analysis of custody staffing by using the Baseline Reporting Information System; and establishes institutional full-time employee (FTE) position caps based on available salary funding and monitors FTE filled counts against those FTE caps via preparation of bi-weekly position monitoring reports. Bureau staff directly supports institutional business office staff in fiscal matters as needed for daily operations. The bureau provides supervision, administrative direction and assistance in accounting, purchasing and internal controls to DEPTCOR, AgriIndustries and Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility Laundry revolving funds and Capital Construction funds. The bureau also provides assistance in the fiscal analysis of current year activity for the quarterly spending plans that provide the fiscal status of the NJDOC. The bureau provides standard and ad hoc reports to various units in the department using reporting applications and data base programs. Additionally, the bureau is responsible for determining and authorizing reimbursements to the counties for the housing of state sentenced inmates housed in county jails.
• Bureau of Auditing provides independent financial audits of the 42 trust funds maintained by the NJDOC’s major institutions and satellites. The examination of each trust fund is performed in accordance with Statements on Internal Auditing presented by the Institute of Internal Auditors. The audits of the trust funds (Inmate Trust Funds, Inmate Commissary Funds, and Inmate Welfare Funds) are designed to determine whether:
  1. non-budgeted fund financial statements comply with generally accepted accounting principles;
  2. adequate internal controls existed over the financial operations of the non-budgeted funds;
  3. there is adherence to applicable state laws, administrative code, and state, departmental and institutional policies and procedures; and
  4. financial transactions are authorized, properly recorded and reasonable.
   

The bureau also performs audits of the department’s revolving funds, reviews all OMB A-133 Single Audits and maintains the department’s Land and Building Asset Management system. Audits performed by the state’s Office of Legislative Services and other external audit groups are reviewed to ensure findings are accurate and recommendations are appropriate.

• Bureau of Accounting and Revenue and Institutional Fiscal Operations provides administrative and technical direction and assistance in accounting and internal controls to the various correctional facilities and programs administered by the NJDOC. It develops departmental accounting policies and internal management procedures and other guidelines and directives, which define the fiscal responsibilities for compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations. The bureau also maintains all accounts assigned to Central Office for operations and system-wide activities and ensures timely payment to vendors in accordance with New Jersey Department of the Treasury guidelines. In addition, the bureau manages the Central Office Revenue Unit. This unit is responsible for the processing of revenues collected from offenders for court-imposed fines, penalties and restitution.
  
  The Institutional Operations Bureau provides supervision, administrative direction and assistance in accounting, purchasing, and internal controls for the business offices in all the institutions. This includes the fiduciary responsibility for all financial information related to inmate accounts.  The business offices process inmate payrolls, transact deposits and remits to and from inmate accounts, maintain commissary inventory and account for the merchandise distributed to the 22,000 plus inmates.
• Bureau of Procurement and Contract Management provides administrative and technical direction and assistance in purchasing for NJDOC programs and facilities, via issuance of internal management policies, procedures and other guidelines and directives. The bureau procures needed goods and services for Central Office operations, including the Bureau of Training and Custody Recruitment, and provides support services for the Central Office complex and AgriIndustires procurements. Major contracts are monitored for compliance with contracted terms and conditions.

Office of Human Resources

The Office of Human Resources oversees all aspects of personnel management while providing personnel support for employees within the NJDOC facilities and Central Office.

The office’s primary mission is to plan, develop and implement the department’s human resources programs, which include classification and organizational analysis, personnel and payroll administration, recruitment, employee benefits, position management, wage and salary administration, and computerization of personnel management information. The Office of Human Resources also is responsible for compliance with, and development of, all human resource policies as well as for the continuous review and evaluation of the various human resources programs, while ensuring compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act, state and federal laws/regulations, and negotiated labor agreements.

The Office of Human Resources fosters an environment that encourages employees to build work and interpersonal skills with the goal of continuously improving job performance to offer quality services to inmates and the public. In the event it becomes necessary, Human Resources staff oversees pre-layoff and reduction-in-force layoff planning. Additionally, staff develops an
active plan for monitoring sick leave and conducts post audits of the department’s leave of absence program at each facility. The office also implements training programs concerning personnel issues and timekeeping procedures and ensures training compliance through periodic personnel, payroll and time and attendance audits.

Human Resources provides direction to program managers in establishing the need for, and the development of, departmental procedures for implementation of all applicable and contractual agreements to ensure congruence with related departmental human resources functions: training, employee relations and the Equal Employment Division.

Office of Information Technology

The Office of Information Technology’s mission is to support core business needs of the department through the development, use and support of new technologies and information systems; to provide the integrated exchange of data with internal and external stakeholders; to identify emerging technologies and trends to improve employee productivity and reduce operating costs; to advise management of IT best practices; and to deliver timely and accurate services to stakeholders in a professional and courteous fashion.

The Department of Corrections, Information Technology Unit (DOC-OIT) was established in late 1996 to address looming Y2K issues. As the year 2000 approached, the department realized that there would be major challenges in its information technology future. At that time, the department relied on obsolete IBM System/36 computer hardware, which was installed in 1985. The System/36 had to be replaced with a state-of-the-art computer environment in order to manage the growing offender population and the expanding need to share information with other state and federal government agencies. The DOC-OIT then installed the Department of Corrections Management Information System (DOCMIS), a Y2K project funded through a line of credit from the New Jersey Department of the Treasury.

DOCMIS consists of two major components: the Correctional Management Information System (CMIS) and the Department of Corrections Network (DOCNet). CMIS includes an offender management system, an electronic medical record application, a custody officer scheduling system, the Oracle Human Resources and Training applications, FileNet document imaging, andnumerous smaller applications. CMIS is also integrated with a hospital-quality medical package and a Document Imaging and Management System (FileNet). DOCNet provides the department with the local/wide area network operations, which allows for a centralized information system for easier data access. PCs, printers, standardized imaging, cabling, routers, switches and servers, along with a centralized three tier Help Desk, complete DOCNet.

The NJDOC has successfully employed the hardware and software infrastructure needed to support the department’s expanding needs. Where applicable, the NJDOC has pursued shared services with other state IT organizations, thereby reducing duplication and leveraging economies of scale. This strategy has helped the IT unit to “do more with less” during this period of fiscal constraints.

Significant advances in technology that will entail delivery of new products, services and capabilities can be expected during the next several years. This will create opportunities for the IT unit to make a difference by using information and technologies in new ways.