TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey grand jury has indicted 14 corrections officers on charges stemming from what authorities said was a brutal attack in 2021 on inmates at the state’s only prison for women.
The grand jury handed up the indictments after a more than yearlong investigation into the events at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, in the community of Clinton, Acting Attorney General Matt Platkin’s office said late Tuesday.
Attorneys for the guards charged have said previously they planned to fight the allegations in court. The charges include charges conspiracy, official misconduct, tampering with public records and aggravated assault, Platkin said.
The indictments are the latest development in a state criminal probe that resulted in significant fallout, including the departure of the state’s corrections commissioner and Gov. Phil Murphy’s declaration that he will close the prison.
A picture of what happened in January 2021 at the prison has emerged, based on accounts from law enforcement, videos released by authorities showing extractions of prisoners from their cells, and a report commissioned by the governor.