Advocates and lawmakers warned state prison officials that a sergeant working at New Jersey s women s prison was known among the inmates as an abuser six months before he was charged in a January attack on women there.
In August, four women lawmakers sent a letter to the Corrections Department legal affairs office asking the state to look into concerns about Sgt. or Lt. Bethea.
Bonnie Kerness, an advocate with the American Friends Service Committee Prison Watch who routinely speaks to inmates, had gotten several phone calls from inmates about Bethea s conduct, the letter says. Groups like prison watch receive many complaints and reports, but this one was specific enough that we wanted to bring it to your attention, reads the letter sent on behalf of Assemblywomen Valerie Vainieri Huttle, D-Bergen, and Yvonne Lopez, D-Middlesex, and Sen. Linda Greenstein, D-Middlesex.
31 Guards Suspended at a Womenâs Prison Plagued by Sexual Violence
Inmates reported being beaten while handcuffed at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in New Jersey, the stateâs only prison for women.
A yearslong pattern of abuse has emerged at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Clinton, N.J.Credit.Bryan Anselm for The New York Times
Jan. 28, 2021
For Trimeka Rollinsâs daughter, who is 24 and transgender, New Jerseyâs only womenâs prison was supposed to be a haven.
She had been shuffled from one menâs prison to another, facing abuse at both, her mother said, before finally being transferred in November to the stateâs only lockup for women, Edna Mahan Correctional Facility.
Press Releases
Senate President Sweeney, Honorable Members of the NJ Legislative Disability Caucus & Advocates from the Disability Community Hold First Meeting of Bipartisan Disability Caucus Focusing on the Impact of COVID-19 on Persons with Disabilities January 27, 2021, 1:15 pm | in
Senate President Sweeney, Honorable Members of the NJ Legislative Disability Caucus & Advocates from the Disability Community Hold First Meeting of Bipartisan Disability Caucus Focusing on the Impact of COVID-19 on Persons with Disabilities
TRENTON, NJ New Jersey Legislative Disability Caucus Chair Senate President Steve Sweeney, honorable legislative caucus members and advocates from the disability community met virtually on January 26th for the inaugural meeting of the Caucus to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on people with disabilities. With the COVID-19 pandemic taking a disproportionate toll on people with disabilities, the topic led to a robust discussion among
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Good Wednesday morning!
We’re about two weeks from the deadline for Gov. Murphy to act on the weed legalization and decriminalization bills on his desk, and negotiations to date haven’t gotten far.
Gov. Phil Murphy has ordered an independent investigation at the state s troubled prison for women after 30 employees were recently suspended following reports of inmates being severely beaten.
The exact details about what happened during the Jan. 11 incident first reported by NJ.com have not been disclosed by the state Attorney General s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, which is is investigating with the Hunterdon County Prosecutor s Office.
The union representing the correctional police officers said the incident might have been sparked by inmates throwing feces on officers. As far as I know several inmates splashed officers with fecal matter. A forced cell extraction was authorized. There were claims made after the extraction of excessive force, William Sullivan, president of NJ PBA Local 105 told New Jersey 101.5.