NJ settles misconduct claims with female inmates for $21M

TRENTON, N.J. » New Jersey and women incarcerated in the state’s only women’s prison have reached a nearly $21 million settlement over longstanding allegations of abuse and harassment at the facility, embattled Corrections Commissioner Marcus Hicks told lawmakers Thursday during a hearing.

Hicks also said the Department of Corrections has reached a “tentative” agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice over reforming the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton, though the details of the deal aren’t public yet. Hicks added that a federal monitor at the prison would likely be part of the agreement.

The settlement covers 20 lawsuits filed by current and former inmates who say they were direct victims of sexual misconduct as well as all inmates incarcerated since Jan. 1 2014. The state will provide $20,835,600 in damages and attorney’s fees to the women.