Newark, New Jersey - More than 30 advocacy organizations joined forces on Thursday to call for the accelerated closure of youth prisons in New Jersey after two officers were charged in a horrific case of abuse.

"In light of these recent abuses at the Female Secure Intake Facility, we respectfully urge you both, as we explain below, to: 1) accelerate the closure of the Female Secure Intake Facility and the New Jersey Training School youth prison, and 2) conduct an expeditious independent investigation into the reported abuse in the Female Secure Intake Facility," the groups, led by the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, wrote in a letter to Governor Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matthew Platkin.

The demands are a direct response to October 2024 charges accusing two Juvenile Justice Commission senior corrections officers – Gary Nieves (53) and William Young (35) – of repeatedly sexually assaulting an 18-year-old resident of the Female Secure Care and Intake Facility in Bordentown.

"The details of the charges, as you know, are shocking and unacceptable," the letter states.

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"New Jersey's failure to keep this young woman safe is especially alarming given that the Female Secure Intake Facility has a total population of just five young women."

After the alleged abuse came to light, AG Platkin announced plans to shutter two of New Jersey's three youth prisons by 2028.

Advocates are calling on the state government to speed up that process, and to launch an investigation into the failings that allowed the assault to occur and whether any other incidents of abuse have taken place which have not yet been made known.

"This incident highlights that New Jersey’s incarcerated youth deserve the kind of protection that comes from a community-based, developmentally appropriate system of care that is grounded in restorative justice," the groups wrote.

"They deserve an environment that prioritizes their growth, healing and well-being, which, as the recent charges reflect, is not available in the current system."