Three guards in a women’s prison in New Jersey have been charged in connection with a violent attack on prisoners last month, the state attorney general announced Thursday.
On January 11, prison guards took prisoners from their cells and reportedly attacked them at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Clifton, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a statement. More than 20 officers were placed on administrative leave as officials investigated allegations of violence, a union official said.
“Edna Mahan has a long, ugly history – one that has rightfully received attention from provincial, state and federal researchers,” Grewal said Thursday. “We must hold responsible parties accountable, and we must resolve the system flaws that made this incident possible.”
Luis Garcia, a correctional police officer, was charged with second-degree assault, official misconduct and filing a false report. Garcia is accused of peppering a prisoner, removing her from her cell and punching her 28 times in the face, which Grewal says has resulted in serious injuries.
Garcia is also accused of falsely reporting that the inmate threw blows to his torso when he tried to restrain her. However, Grewal said video evidence revealed that she hadn’t been hit.
Two wardens – Sergeant Amir Bethea and Sergeant Anthony Valvano – were both charged with official misconduct and covering up the alleged sexual assault. Bethea oversaw both the previous attack and a separate incident in which officers allegedly beat a woman while removing her from her cell, despite granting the agents’ requests, Grewal said. Bethea is also charged with not disclosing the inmate’s injuries.
Valvano has been accused of failing to intervene while using force while not reporting it, Grewal said. He also allegedly filed a false report saying that a victim injured herself by hitting her head in her cell, which she denies, Grewal said.
The investigation into the January 11 incident is ongoing. Officials said they expect to announce additional criminal charges as the investigation progresses.
William Sullivan, chairman of the union representing officers in prison, said the union “does not condone any unprofessional behavior.”
While a review of the allegations filed against the officers is troubling, PBA # 105 fully supports a thorough investigation being conducted in relation to the incidents in question before making any judgment on the allegations or the officers related have thus been charged, “Sullivan said in a statement.
Last year, a Justice Department report alleged that guards routinely sexually assaulted female prisoners in prison. From October 2016 to November 2019, five workers pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting more than 10 women, which prosecutors say was made possible by a culture that discouraged inmates from reporting abuse.