The purpose of the Bergen County Jail’s law library is to assist inmates with their constitutional right to participate in their own legal defense or – should they choose – to represent themselves in court. The library offers a collection of books and other resources with which inmates may conduct legal research. In many cases, inmates who are currently party to a legal proceeding may be prescribed a set number of hours by the judge overseeing their case.

Due to the size of the Jail’s population, as well as the Administration’s commitment to afford each inmate a reasonable amount of access to the facility, scheduling conflicts can sometimes arise. To mitigate this issue, the Administration now offers inmates netbooks with secure access to the library’s online subscriptions to Lexis Nexis. This innovative solution has helped alleviate overcrowding and enhanced security by minimizing inmate movements inside the Jail.

As of December 2019, the Bergen County Jail has opened a third law library to afford greater access and higher quality visitation times for inmates and detainees.

For further information please call Ombudsman at (201) 336-3500 Ext. 4412