SURRENCY URGES PUBLIC TO PERSUADE FREEHOLDERS TO POST COVID  JAIL REFORMS

 Wants Hazard Pay, Testing & Reporting, PPE, and

AG Guidelines on May 26 Agenda

(BRIDGETON, NJ) – Cumberland County Freeholder Jack Surrency today called on the public to contact their freeholders and persuade them to support a package of COVID jail reforms, so they may appear on the May 26 freeholder board agenda.

“We need the public to be engaged in this conversation,” said Freeholder Jack Surrency (D-Bridgeton). “I’m asking, no, I’m pleading that the public contact their county freeholders and urge them to support these resolutions to protect our corrections officers, staff and inmates during this pandemic.”

Surrency submitted the package of COVID jail reforms to the board clerk on May 12. Included in the package are the following reforms: hazard pay for corrections officers, weekly testing and reporting of personnel and inmates, personal protection equipment disclosures, and strict enforcement of the Attorney General’s COVID guidelines.

“We can put these measures into place right now and test, treat, and track the virus in our jails,” said Surrency. “We cannot look away and we can no longer sacrifice the health and safety of our corrections officers, staff and inmates.”