Riverfront State Prison (RSP) is a former prison in Camden,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, that was operated by the

New Jersey Department of Corrections The New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) is the government agency responsible for operations and management of prison facilities in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The New Jersey Department of Corrections operates 9 correctional facilitie ...

from August 12, 1985, to 2009. It was located in the neighborhood of Cooper Point at the intersection of Delaware Avenue and Elm Street. The prison first opened after the state paid Camden money in exchange for receiving a plot of land that was used to establish the prison. It having been constructed at a cost of $31 million. The prison had a design capacity of 631 inmates, but housed 1,020 in 2007 and 1,017 in 2008. In 2007, while the state was preparing to close Riverfront, it considered establishing a replacement state prison in

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Cumberland, historic county *Cumberl ...

, which already had three other state prisons. When officials from the city of

Bridgeton, New Jersey Bridgeton is a City (New Jersey), city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, Cumberland County, within the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the county seat of Cumberland County South Woods State Prison 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 ...

in Bridgeton, Bridgeton officials opposed the plans.Martins, John.
Bridgeton doesn't want Camden's state inmates
" ''

The Press of Atlantic City ''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, New Jersey, Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The Designated marke ...

''. 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." The last prisoners were transferred in June 2009 to other locations and the prison was closed. The state had a savings of $43 million per year. The 16-acre site is considered surplus property by the state. The buildings were demolished in 2009. In December 2012, the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

approved the sale of the site, considered surplus property, to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.Laday, Jason
"NJ approves sale of Riverfront State Prison site in Camden"
''

South Jersey Times The ''South Jersey Times'' is a newspaper serving the South Jersey area of New Jersey. History The newspaper began publication on November 4, 2012, following a merger of three affiliated papers, '' Gloucester County Times'', '' The News of Cu ...

'', December 27, 2012. Accessed December 21, 2014. "The New Jersey Legislature approved a bill allowing the sale of the former Riverfront State Prison site to the state Economic Development Authority, in advance of a public auction, to eventually develop the land." In May 2013 the

New Jersey Economic Development Authority The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) is an independent government entity in the U.S. state of New Jersey dedicated to broadening and expanding the state's economic base. The EDA creates public-private partnerships to provide acce ...

announced that it would seek developers for the site. In September 2013 Waterfront Renaissance Associates announced that it proposed to build the Riverfront World Trade Center, a development of 2.3-million-square-foot campus on on the site. The project would be built in four phases, the first of which would be a promenade along the Delaware River. On September 2, 2024, the state made an aggressive proposal involving $800 million in public incentives to the Philadelphia 76ers to build a mixed-used stadium on the site. This immediately prompted condemnation from multiple groups opposed to using public funds to support for-profit sports franchises, along with calls for investigations to any possible connection to George Norcross, his family, and associates who are under federal indictment.

References

External links

Riverfront State Prison
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{{Coord, 39, 57, 13, N, 75, 07, 39, W, type:landmark_region:US-NJ, display=title Buildings and structures in Camden, New Jersey Defunct prisons in New Jersey 1985 establishments in New Jersey 2009 disestablishments in New Jersey Buildings and structures demolished in 2010