Two inmates serving in an all-female New Jersey prison became pregnant after apparently having sex with a transgender inmate.
The two unidentified prisoners became pregnant at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Clinton, New Jersey, after engaging in “consensual sexual relationships with another incarcerated person,” said Dan Sperrazza, external affairs executive director for the Department of Corrections.
“While DOC cannot comment on any specific disciplinary or housing decisions that may be considered in light of these events, the Department always reserves all options to ensure the health and safety of the individuals in its custody,” Sperrazza said.
VIRGINIA GOP OFFICIAL RESIGNS AFTER CALLING FOR ‘PUBLIC LYNCHING’ OF LLOYD AUSTIN
Out of the 800 inmates housed at the prison, 27 identify as transgender. In 2021, New Jersey put a policy in place that requires state prisons to place inmates by their gender identity. The policy change was part of a lawsuit settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey.
The union representing correctional officers at the prison has criticized the policy change.
“We opposed this policy change, believing it would be detrimental to the general population of female inmates being housed at Edna Mahan and also bring added stress to our correctional police officers assigned to this institution,” the union president said.
Edna Mahan is the only women’s prison in New Jersey and has a sordid history. Women at Edna Mahan are considered at “substantial risk of sexual abuse” due to “systemic” failures that work to “discourage prisoners” from reporting such abuse, the Justice Department alleged in 2020.
DOJ issued a list of remedial measures for the prison to address and concluded there was “reasonable cause” to allege Edna Mahan violated the Eighth Amendment by “failing to protect prisoners from sexual abuse by staff.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Last July, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced he intended to shut Edna Mahan’s doors.
“Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women has a long history of abusive incidents predating our Administration, and we must now commit ourselves to completely breaking this pattern of misconduct to better serve incarcerated women entrusted to the State’s care,” Murphy said.
