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Residents and corrections staff press Essex County commissioners on Delaney Hall, jail conditions and costs
Summary
Public commenters, including corrections supervisors and immigrant-rights advocates, urged the board to address conditions at Delaney Hall and the county correctional facility, cited large settlements and asked for local relief for families affected by deportation and detention.
Multiple public commenters used the county meeting to press officials on conditions at Delaney Hall and the Essex County Correctional Facility and to demand more action and oversight from county leaders.
Cynthia Galliotta, who identified herself as a longtime Essex County resident and member of the Selma Action Immigration Committee, said the federal immigration enforcement program has left families financially vulnerable and urged the county to create local supports. “Deportation of an undocumented family member reduces household income an average of 50%,” she said, citing the Center for Migration Studies and asking whether Essex County could set aside funds to relieve financial trauma for affected families.
Susan Vercheck, co-chair of an immigration committee, raised logistical concerns about visitors to the Delaney Hall facility, saying visitors are routinely blocked from using the facility’s most convenient parking and are exposed to long waits and inadequate indoor space. “It is wrong and shameful for Essex County not to permit these individuals to park in the Essex County Correctional Facility lot,” she said.
James Troisi, vice president of FOP Lodge 106 and a supervisory corrections representative, urged the board to consider operational failings at the county facility and questioned whether prior warnings were heeded. Troisi said the county recently settled a case for $8,000,000 involving a former inmate and described raising earlier warnings about unsecured equipment and placement of a prisoner with a serious psychiatric history. He urged the board to allow the FOP to name someone to the civilian review board seat reserved for a past or present staff member who is also a union rep.
Other speakers urged routine inspections of park kitchens, better enforcement of park rules and more local relief for families who lost the primary wage earner to detention or deportation. Several commenters asked the county to press federal authorities on detention operations and to investigate the conditions and business operations of privately run detention sites.
Board staff responded to some requests: the county said it would inspect the kitchen at Falesburg Park and follow up on details provided by petitioners. The board did not take any immediate policy action on Delaney Hall itself during the meeting but heard repeated requests to pursue further investigation and advocacy.
What’s next: public commenters asked for sustained county attention and follow-up; staff agreed to inspect the park kitchen and return with findings, and multiple residents said they would continue to press the board on Delaney Hall and detention conditions.
