By Nicolas Fernandes | NJ.com
nj.com
TRENTON, N.J. — A federal court on Wednesday terminated a consent decree on Edna Mahan Correctional Facility, ending five years of oversight at the controversial women’s prison.
The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey moved to terminate the consent decree following “successful implementation of reforms” regarding sexual abuse of inmates at the prison located in Union Township in Hunterdon County.
“We join our Justice Department colleagues in the Civil Rights Division in applauding the collaborative efforts with Edna Mahan that have resulted in this termination,” U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said in a statement on Thursday. “Edna Mahan’s reforms have been consistent and transformational in addressing sexual abuse.”
In 2020, a U.S. Department of Justice investigation found Edna Mahan personnel failed to protect incarcerated women from a systemic pattern of physical and sexual abuse.
The prison made headlines again in 2021 after officers stormed cells, for what they called “extractions,” after claiming unknown substances were thrown at them. Prosecutors later alleged those officers and their superiors tried to cover up the brutality of the beatings with statements that clashed with video evidence.
Following those scandals and reporting by NJ.com, Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration vowed to close the 110-year-old Hunterdon County prison.
Reforms at the prison have included community feedback panels and oversight, expanded mental health resources, education programs for inmates and body cameras for staff, according to Victoria Kuhn, the state’s first female corrections commissioner.
More than a dozen people who worked at the old Edna Mahan facility were indicted on accusations of coordinated beatings. Those charges were later dismissed without prejudice, meaning they cannot be refiled.
The facility has been undergoing a phased shutdown by the state since 2021. The prison started transferring minimum security inmates to a satellite unit in Clinton before unveiling plans to build a new facility in the town of Chesterfield in Burlington County.
The new prison will hold up to 420 prisoners, featuring modern architecture and units for specialized needs, the state said. It is being constructed on a 33-acre property that was already owned by the state Department of Corrections.
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