According to the New Jersey Monitor, a lawsuit filed in state Superior Court alleges that a 16-year-old boy spent two two-week stints in October and November 2024 at the Mercer County Correction Center, despite New Jersey law barring the placement of anyone under 18 in adult jails. The complaint says the state Youth Justice Commission twice warned officials the placement was illegal. His attorneys allege he was strip-searched, pepper-sprayed while naked, and held alone in a cell without a mattress or pillow on his first night. The suit names Judge Rodney Thompson, County Executive Dan Benson and jail warden Timothy Friel as defendants and seeks declaratory and injunctive relief. The Monitor reported that spokespeople for the county and courts did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Why it matters
The lawsuit alleges that a youth was held in an adult jail after written state warnings and subjected to degrading treatment. The claims are unproven allegations in a pending civil case.
Allegation: An unproven claim, including claims in a lawsuit or complaint. No court or oversight body has found it true. Researched with AI assistance from the sources listed here and reviewed under our methodology.