Bipartisan group of New Jersey lawmakers signs onto push to impeach corrections commissioner
(The Center Square) – A bipartisan group of state lawmakers is supporting a push to impeach New Jersey Department of Corrections Commissioner Marcus Hicks.
Assemblywoman Jean Stanfield, R-Burlington, put forth the articles of impeachment charging Hicks “with constitutional violations for failing to protect inmates” at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Union Township, according to a news release.
“The women at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility have been silenced for far too long while enduring unspeakable pain and suffering at the hands of corrections officers who were sworn to protect them,” Stanfield said in a news release. “The women leaders of New Jersey will not back down on this issue until Commissioner Hicks is gone and new leadership can begin the healing that this administration has spectacularly failed at.”
The articles allege Hicks “failed to take reasonable measures to protect inmates from sexual abuse,” a violation of their Eighth Amendment rights, and “for violating the inmates’ civil rights and the public’s trust,” according to a news release.
“Prisoners are still people. We as a state must take a leadership role in ensuring dignity and safety for everyone, including those who are incarcerated,” Assemblywomen Valerie Vainieri Huttle, D-Bergen, said in a news release. “We have called for the resignation of Commissioner Hicks and this resolution aims to bring accountability to the DOC. Regardless, reforms are still sorely needed to address the systemic abuse within our system.”
Last week, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced criminal charges against three suspended correctional police officers. Authorities allege the officers assaulted and seriously injured inmates during “forced cell extractions” in the facility’s Restorative Housing Unit (RHU) in January.
The charges are part of an ongoing investigation by the attorney general’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) and the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office. Last month, Gov. Phil Murphy appointed former State Comptroller Matt Boxer to conduct an independent investigation into the January incident.
“Women have been sexually assaulted and beaten within an inch of their lives, and prison guards have been charged and convicted on multiple occasions for the crimes they committed at the correctional facility,” Stanfield said. “We’ve already seen prior investigations detailing the atrocities at Edna Mahan. It’s time to act. We cannot wait for this administration to conduct another investigation before he’s ready to make the right decision.”
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