By: John Tredrea
Hopewell Township Deputy Mayor Jon Edwards said Wednesday he expects the Township Committee to vote tonight (Sept. 6) on a proposed petition that seeks to have maximum-security prisoners removed from the Mercer County Correction Center off Route 29, Titusville.
"It’s still being drafted," Mr. Edwards said of the text of the petition, which he said would be sent to the county administration and freeholders after being signed by residents. The petition comes in the wake of the dramatic Aug. 30 escape of Terence Monroe Brewer, a two-time convicted murderer, from the correction center. Mr. Brewer was still at large at press time.
Mr. Edwards said if the Township Committee votes in favor of moving forward with the petition, residents could sign it at tonight’s meeting. In the future, they might be able to sign copies at the municipal building, township library and other locations, or by circulating copies of the petition themselves.
Of the correction center, Mr. Edwards said: "I’m confident that my concerns about this facility will be addressed. I’m just sorry that it took something like this (the Brewer escape) to make that happen."
Mr. Brewer, only recently convicted of a 1998 murder, was being held in the county correction center until sentencing.
Several years ago, the county closed a jail in Trenton known as the detention center, where inmates accused of serious crimes or awaiting sentencing for such crimes were held. Rather than pay for $7 million in repairs at the detention center, the county closed it, leaving no place but the correction center in Titusville to hold inmates like Mr. Brewer.

