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| A cursory glance at two patches from the State of New Jersey (USA), Department of Corrections, would probably not reveal any differences between the two. However, after reading the amusing "history" of the patches, they very definitely took on a much greater significance. |
| The story of New Jersey's "Itch Patch" goes back at least forty years but perhaps even longer since many of the juicier details are lost in history. At that time the State's prison system was a "Division" of the Department of Institutions and Agencies, which encompassed State Hospitals, Schools, Social Welfare and other State Bureau. |
| The prison officers uniform was a simple affair which consisted of a powder blue police cap and an Eisenhower jacket (supervisory officers wore white hats and a double breasted jacket). The only uniform emblem was worn on the jacket. It consisted of a yellow felt shield with the New Jersey State Seal in the centre in blue and the inscription "State of New Jersey" above the Seal. Below the Seal was the name of the individual corrections institution to which the wearer was assigned. The uniforms and insignia were produced at Bordertown Correction Facility by inmate labour, as part of the Bureau of State Use Industries' Inmate Jobs Programme. |
| As the story goes, the inmate who was assigned to produce the uniform emblems went up before the Prisons' Parole Board for consideration of an early release. Apparently the inmate had high hopes of getting released. One consideration being that he had such a trustworthy job assignment. Well, the Parole Board thought otherwise and turned him down. |
| The disappointed inmate decided that the State should suffer for it's insult to him. He also decided that the best way to do that was to embarrass the State, via it's symbol of authority and the officers who wore that emblem. |
| The inmate ingeniously redesigned the official New Jersey State Seal with so minor an alteration that it would go undetected for years and after hundreds of the patches had been issued and sewn onto individual jackets of the States officers. |
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Now what was the minor change? The State Seal consists of a shield flanked by two female figures representing Liberty and Prosperity. The inner arms of both female figures rest on top of the shield. The inmate deftly reconfigured his machine to produce a patch wherein the "Liberty's female's hand no longer rested on the shield, but on her groin area. Upon eventual discovery, officers promptly christened the emblem the "Itch Patch". |
| Furthermore, the counterfeit was so pervasively worn, it was decided to be too expensive and bothersome to replace all the patches in use. It was also decided that since the jacket was not a popular item with the officers and not often worn as it was too light for winter wear and too heavy for summer, the embarrassment would be minimal. After all, it had gone unnoticed by those who would notice it most for years. |
| How long it remained in circulation is unknown since the exact date of its manufacture is likewise unknown. The jacket and patch were withdrawn from State issue in the mid 1970's. |
| Since the patch has been out of issue for over twenty years, both the counterfeit and its official mate are difficult for a collector to find. In fact many people who have patches from that era in their collections are not aware that the "Itch Patch" exists, and thus have a true collector's item without knowing of its significance. |
| Whilst it is difficult to see the hand in the groin area, the picture clearly shows the absence of the hand of the left side of the shield. |
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