NJ settles misconduct claims with women inmates for $21M

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey and incarcerated women have reached a nearly $21 million settlement over longstanding allegations of abuse and harassment at the the state’s only women’s facility. That’s according to Corrections Commissioner Marcus Hicks, who testified Thursday during a legislative hearing. Hicks also said the Department of Corrections has reached a “tentative” agreement with the 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. 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.