a. There is established in the Department of Corrections a long-term, financial assistance program to provide State grants to participating counties to renovate and construct county correctional facilities so that county correctional services may be developed, implemented, operated and improved.

b. The Commissioner of the Department of Corrections is authorized to provide financial assistance, in the form of State grants, to participating counties in order to upgrade county correctional facilities so that county correctional programs may be developed and implemented and the placement of certain State prisoners in medium and minimum-security facilities at the county level effectuated. No State prisoner who is anticipated to have an actual period of confinement in excess of 24 months or convicted of the offense of aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, or an attempt to commit any of these offenses shall be eligible for placement in any county correctional facility under this act.

c. With the agreement of the county, prisoners sentenced to terms which may result in an actual period of confinement in excess of 24 months may be housed in county facilities on a pre-release basis for the last 6 to 9 months of their sentences in order to facilitate the reintegration of offenders in the community.

d. The program established pursuant to this act shall be funded through bond moneys appropriated to the Department of Corrections from the “Public Purpose Buildings Construction Fund,” created pursuant to the “New Jersey Public Purpose Buildings Construction Bond Act of 1980,” P.L.1980, c. 119, and from any other bond moneys and capital budget appropriations that may be issued for these purposes subsequent to the enactment of this act.

L.1981, c. 498, s. 3, eff. Jan. 12, 1982.