In July 2025, South Woods State Prison in New Jersey, where I used to be incarcerated, reduced our ability to leave our cells on the weekends. 

The “modified weekend schedule,” as it was referred to in an official prison memo, essentially shut down facility operations midafternoon every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

In the memo from prison administration announcing the rule change, it was hinted that activities outside the cell would actually cease before 6 p.m. to ensure a full shutdown of facility operations by 6 p.m. In practice, the facility really shut down a full two-and-a-half hours earlier, at 3:30 p.m.

This meant we were restricted to our cells for around 17 hours on weekends, from 3:30 p.m. until 8:45 in the morning, when we were released for recreation — and often that started even later.

Before this policy, general movement — to the recreation yard, dayrooms, phones, kiosks and showers — was permitted during four regularly scheduled blocks: a morning and afternoon window, as well as two evening windows.

This rule change cut short the first afternoon window by about 30 minutes and completely eliminated the two evening windows.

Often, programs, school or jobs overlapped with these windows during the workweek. That meant that people like myself rarely had time to access the yard, gym or phones during the week, which made weekends more valuable. 

Plus, most people’s families have to work during the week. Weekends are when most people have off, and the prime hours to call are during the evening or nighttime when people are home. These changes significantly reduced our ability to participate in recreation time, socialize in the dayroom or keep in touch with loved ones through phone calls. 

In the memo, prison administrator Eleazar Spratley said the policy was “aimed at supporting staff wellness and ensuring effective facility operations.”

“Implementing this earlier shutdown may help us avoid facility lockdowns caused by insufficient staffing,” he wrote. 

In other words, prison administration believed the best way to have fewer lockdowns was by preemptively locking down the prison.

The New Jersey Department of Corrections did not respond to multiple requests for comment. 

At South Woods, we shared cells with up to three other people, so being locked up together for long periods was usually not helpful to our wellness. If anything, our wellness was severely strained from these lockdowns. Research has shown that prolonged periods of confinement in small, sometimes even hostile, spaces, is psychologically harmful.

I spoke to some officers about the rule change who said they were not in support of it. Many officers still have to work long shifts. It still leaves officers disgruntled, which influences how they address and treat us. 

One incarcerated man I interviewed, who did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation, told me he felt staff became aggressive toward him. His anxiety increased. 

“I feel depressed when the door is locked and they cut out the lights,” he said. “Every 15 minutes they walk around, shake or bang on my door, and shine a flashlight in my face until I respond. It feels like torture.”
July 2025, South Woods State Prison in New Jersey, where I used to be incarcerated, reduced our ability to leave our cells on the weekends. 

The “modified weekend schedule,” as it was referred to in an official prison memo, essentially shut down facility operations midafternoon every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

In the memo from prison administration announcing the rule change, it was hinted that activities outside the cell would actually cease before 6 p.m. to ensure a full shutdown of facility operations by 6 p.m. In practice, the facility really shut down a full two-and-a-half hours earlier, at 3:30 p.m.

This meant we were restricted to our cells for around 17 hours on weekends, from 3:30 p.m. until 8:45 in the morning, when we were released for recreation — and often that started even later.

Before this policy, general movement — to the recreation yard, dayrooms, phones, kiosks and showers — was permitted during four regularly scheduled blocks: a morning and afternoon window, as well as two evening windows.

This rule change cut short the first afternoon window by about 30 minutes and completely eliminated the two evening windows.

Often, programs, school or jobs overlapped with these windows during the workweek. That meant that people like myself rarely had time to access the yard, gym or phones during the week, which made weekends more valuable. 

Plus, most people’s families have to work during the week. Weekends are when most people have off, and the prime hours to call are during the evening or nighttime when people are home. These changes significantly reduced our ability to participate in recreation time, socialize in the dayroom or keep in touch with loved ones through phone calls. 

In the memo, prison administrator Eleazar Spratley said the policy was “aimed at supporting staff wellness and ensuring effective facility operations.”

“Implementing this earlier shutdown may help us avoid facility lockdowns caused by insufficient staffing,” he wrote. 

In other words, prison administration believed the best way to have fewer lockdowns was by preemptively locking down the prison.

The New Jersey Department of Corrections did not respond to requests for comment. 

At South Woods, we shared cells with up to three other people, so being locked up together for long periods was usually not helpful to our wellness. If anything, our wellness was severely strained from these lockdowns. Research has shown that prolonged periods of confinement in small, sometimes even hostile, spaces, is psychologically harmful.

I spoke to some officers about the rule change who said they were not in support of it. Many officers still have to work long shifts. It still leaves officers disgruntled, which influences how they address and treat us. 

One incarcerated man I interviewed, who did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation, told me he felt staff became aggressive toward him. His anxiety increased. 

“I feel depressed when the door is locked and they cut out the lights,” he said. “Every 15 minutes they walk around, shake or bang on my door, and shine a flashlight in my face until I respond. It feels like torture.”

In November, before I was transferred to a new facility, I made an official inquiry to the prison administrator about this policy. The memo had indicated the policy would only last through the summer. In response to my inquiry, the prison administration said it had “no plans on changing the policy at this time.” When I was moved from South Woods in late February, the policy was still in place.