Lopez On Announcement of Independent Investigation Into Abuse Allegations at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility

          (TRENTON) – In response to the announcement that former State Comptroller Matt Boxer will lead an independent investigation into allegations of abuse brought forward by three women incarcerated at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility on January 11, Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez (D-Middlesex) released the following statement:

          “I appreciate Governor Murphy’s responsiveness to the allegations of brutal assault against three inmates on January 11 at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility.

“From Mr. Boxer’s reputation as a follower of the facts, I trust that his investigation will be conducted in the most comprehensive and expeditious way possible. I urge Mr. Boxer to look beyond the alleged January 11^th event to identify the systemic issues at Edna Mahan leading the facility to be continually marked as an epicenter of abuse. Moreover, I implore the investigation to be centered around the victims of this assault, and that the accounts of inmates are taken with the utmost seriousness.

“Any investigation into these allegations must be unbiased and as independent as possible to hold the individuals responsible for these reprehensible actions accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The consistent failures of the New Jersey Department of Corrections to protect inmates at Edna Mahan must come to an end and we must do everything in our power to stop the abuse, period.”