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(Union Township, N.J./77WABC)-Dozens of Corrections Officers at New Jerse’s only women’s prison, The Edna Mahan Correctional Facility, in Union Township, Hunterdon County are suspended. The suspensions follow allegations that staff brutally beat and sexually assaulted inmates there.
NJ Governor Phil Murphy Thursday ordered a full investigation into the allegations of abuse. The Governors’s ordered former State Comptroller Matt Boxer to lead the investigation. “Let me be clear: Every individual in state custody deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and we must always remember that female inmates have long been uniquely vulnerable to abuse,” Murphy said. Murphy’s full statement can be found on his official website.
A total of 31 staff members at the Correction Facility are suspended. The NY Times reports 22 guards, nine supervisors, and the prison’s top administrator have all been suspended following reports of inmate abuse.
The allegations led NJ lawmakers to calls for investigations and the firing of the state’s top correctional official.
The (D) Leader of the State Assembly Craig Coughlin said in a statement to the NY Times, “A pattern has developed at the facility and those supervising it are not doing nearly enough to protect its vulnerable inmates.”
“We need answers and we need reform,” he added.
According to William Sullivan, president of the state correctional officers union, 11 of the guards suspended were male and 11 were female. Speaking to the Times, he voiced support for the investigation into the incident.
In April, the Department of Justice found that guards routinely sexually assaulted prisoners or forced to perform sexual acts with other prisoners while guards watched.
Several guards were arrested at that time.
