Safe Water, Safe Lives: Tackling Health Risks in NJ's Incarcerated Population Petition

Sign the Petition

Women Who Never Give Up and Clean Water Action are calling on all of us to join forces and demand better for our loved ones and neighbors in New Jersey's correctional facilities. We need the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), the New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC), and local and state regulators to recognize the serious health risks caused by poor water quality in our prisons.

By signing this petition, you support our demand for clean drinking water in NJ’s correctional facilities and a thorough investigation into each facility's specific needs. Let's unite to protect those incarcerated and working in NJ’s prisons from the harmful effects of contaminated water and ensure a healthier future for all. Together, we can make a difference. Your voice matters. Thank you for standing with us.

Petition

To the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey Department of Corrections, and Local and State Regulators:

As co-sponsors of this petition, we call for immediate action to address the health risks from lack of a safe and readily available supply of drinking water and inadequate monitoring and reporting in our prisons. Contaminants like PFOs, VOCs, 1,2,3-trichloropropane, and EDB are dangerous and can cause serious health problems. These facilities must follow state laws to ensure public health safety, but they are not doing so.

We demand:

A secondary source of potable water for those incarcerated
Improved water quality management
Evaluation of water systems and facility conditions
Allocation of a budget for Operations and Maintenance (O&M)
Most of these facilities are in contaminated areas or within a mile of one. Many incarcerated individuals come from overburdened communities with pre-existing health conditions, like asthma. Once incarcerated, they are exposed to hazardous conditions that worsen their health, making clean water even more critical.

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Background

Many of our state’s correctional facilities are not adequately monitoring or reporting the quality of their water or installing safeguards where they are needed. Places like Mid-State, Mercer County Jail, East Jersey State Prison, Northern State, and Garden State Youth Correctional Facility have faced serious issues. We've heard stories of brown water, skin burns, and even sickness after drinking the water.

These facilities are supposed to protect the health and safety of everyone inside, but they are failing. Contaminants like PFOs, VOCs, 1,2,3-trichloropropane, and EDB can seriously harm the endocrine, reproductive, respiratory, and nervous systems, increasing the risk of diseases like cancer, asthma, and severe liver damage.

We need your help to demand immediate action. By signing our petition, you are standing up for the right to clean drinking water for all.