LEESBURG, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Investigations into alleged incidents of abuse at Bayside State Prison in Cumberland County were incomplete and insufficient, according to a report issued by New Jersey’s government watchdog.
The whole report looked at the failure of internal investigations into incidents at multiple correctional facilities across New Jersey between 2018 and 2022.
There were two instances at Bayside caught on video of corrections officers using force on an inmate. New Jersey Comptroller Kevin Walsh said in one, an officer is seen pepper spraying an inmate and another shows an officer punching an inmate in the face and tackling him. The pepper spraying happened in 2019, while the punching and tackling incident happened a year later, in 2019.
“The surveillance footage didn’t show the incarcerated people crossing security lines or showing any physical aggression,” Walsh said.
The Comptroller went on to call the probe launched by the Department of Corrections Special Investigations Unit into the incident a sham.
“The footage didn’t have audio, but there were eyewitnesses who could have shed light on what actually happened,” Wlsh said. “But they were never interviewed.”
As a result of the investigation, no disciplinary action was ever taken against the officers.
In response to the Comptroller’s report, officials at the Department of Corrections said they uphold a zero tolerance policy for abuse and that these incidents are from years ago, well before new policies were put into place by the current administration. They also said the special investigations division has new leadership and new oversight in addition to implementing body worn cameras to enhance investigative procedures.