Please see the below statement on behalf of Senator Linda Greenstein and Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle:

Time and time again, we have called for improved protections for inmates and swifter action against perpetrators. Recent reports of continued abuse at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility are not only disappointing, they are a clear example of the systemic abuses that we have been fighting against for years.

As the lead sponsors of landmark laws in New Jersey to prevent abuse at Edna Mahan, we are calling on the Department of Corrections to do their job and ensure that all inmates are treated with care and dignity.

More so, we are calling on the Department of Corrections to properly institute policies and protocols for the protection of at-risk inmates, including those who are transgender.

A jail sentence should not subject you to sexual abuse or physical attacks. The Department of Corrections must act immediately.