VERRELLI COMMENDS CREATION OF ESSEX COUNTY CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT TASK FORCE

TRENTON, NJ — Today, Assemblyman Anthony S. Verrelli (15 th Legislative District) praised the
creation of the civilian oversight task force that will act as an independent check on the administration of the Essex County Correctional Facility.

“In this instance, we would do well to take a page out of Essex County’s playbook,” said Assemblyman Verrelli . “The fact that the task force will be headed by Judge Jose Linares and will include inmate- and detainee-advocacy-group members, a criminal-defense attorney, a corrections expert, and an individual who has been incarcerated speaks to the seriousness with which the Essex County administration intends to better the quality of life for the individuals incarcerated inside the Essex County Correctional Facility.” 1

Assemblyman Verrelli added, “For far too long, too many people who are and continue to be incarcerated have had to contend with prisons that are overcrowded and unsanitary, physical- and mental-health conditions that are undiagnosed or untreated, and underfunded or non-existent educational and rehabilitation programs. Too many people who are and have been incarcerated are not and have not been equipped to return to normal civilian life upon their release. I commend Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo; the members of the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders; Judge Linares; the American Civil Liberties Union; and the various stakeholders that came together to make the formation of this task force a reality.”

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Anthony S. Verrelli has served the 15 th Legislative District as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly since August of 2018. For more information, please contact Friends of Anthony Verrelli for Assembly at verrelliforassembly@gmail.com .

1 Essex to create civilian oversight board for corrections facility