An inmate who escaped from the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women is back in custody.
Clinton police apprehended Jessica Graham, 40, on Sunday evening, several hours after she was reported missing from the Hunterdon County prison's minimum-security unit, police said.
The unit houses inmates with no history of violence within the prison and who are nearing eligibility for release.
Graham was last seen on Interstate 78, about a mile north of the prison, the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office said.
Graham was serving a five-year sentence for criminal mischief. She would have become eligible for parole in February and was slated for release in September 2024, officials said.
The Edna Mahan prison has recently drawn scrutiny after several guards were accused of sexually assaulting and abusing inmates.
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.