Civilian Oversight at the Essex County NJ Jail Public Comment 09/11/2019
I am here again to speak about the need for Civilian Oversight of the jail. Thank you to the two Freeholders who continue to engage with me. And I still hope to hear from more of you.
Other people making comments tonight will ask you to end the ICE contract. But even if you did that, tonight, we would have accumulated tens of millions of dollars over time. A small portion was committed for detainee representation. Thank you for that.
Those dollars should be spent on the health, safety, and well-being of our prisoners and staff. They could be spent to eliminate commissary costs for necessities. They could be spent on enhanced and better funded legal representation. They could be spent on eliminate or reduce inmate phone charges. They could be used to increase guard compensation, rewarding staff who do act morally and ethically and ensure others do as well. They could have been used to eliminate blind spots without camera coverage where media reports show staff know to take prisoners before assaulting them. They could have been used to improve camera and security systems within the jail protecting both staff and prisoners. These are all items that a civilian oversight board, if one existed, could identify and support investments in.
Instead, Joe D, the County Executive pours money into expanding the zoo. He uses that money to artificially keep taxes from rising and then attacks local politicians who question him, pointing to his limited tax increases and parks built with ICE money as his accomplishments. He trolls other politicians, offering to share his financial secrets with municipal politicians who have had to raise taxes. But those municipalities don’t have prisons to rent out to ICE so it’s unclear how his tips could help.
Last time I asked for responses to 3 questions and I haven’t heard anything back. So I again ask for a written response to my 3 questions:
* Which Freeholders have spoken with the County Executive on the topic of Civilian Oversight of the jail?
* Which Freeholders have spoken with the ACLU on the topic of Civilian Oversight of the jail?
* Which Freeholders are willing to state they will not support any plan for oversight that does not meet the ACLU’s recommendations?
As I will repeat in every conversation on this topic, these are Joe D’s prisoners, your prisoners, our prisoners, my prisoners. We need to stand up and step forward to speak for and ensure fair treatment of those who we have decided to place in our prison. We need strong, legally empowered civilian oversight of the jail in line with the ACLU recommendations.
Thank you.
