Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill will retain Commissioner of Corrections Victoria Kuhn, and Commissioner of Children and Family Services Carol Norbut Beyer will remain on an interim basis until the search for her successor is completed.
“Having served as the Outreach and Reentry Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, I know that high-quality mental health and job training services keep our streets safe, protect law enforcement officers, and set individuals up for success as they return to their families and communities,” said Sherrill. “I look forward to working with Commissioner Kuhn as she continues the critical work with her team to improve our corrections system and keep officers and inmates safe.”
The New Jersey Globe first reported on December 1 that Sherrill was likely to keep Kuhn.
Gov. Phil Murphy nominated Kuhn to serve as a Superior Court Judge in June. She has been tapped to succeed Judge Jeanne Covert, who retired early this year. But the Senate Judiciary Committee signaled a chance of plans when it abruptly pulled Kuhn from the agenda last month.
Kuhn inherited severe challenges at Corrections when Murphy picked her to lead the troubled department in January 2022. Eight months earlier, Commissioner of Corrections Marcus Hicks was forced to resign after an independent report found lapses in his management of the state’s only women’s prison
Hicks named Kuhn as his deputy chief of staff just five days before Murphy took office. She had previously served as an assistant Cumberland County prosecutor and deputy attorney general and was director of New Jersey’s Equal Employment Division and of the Office of Employee Relations.
She was a member of the Department of Corrections leadership on January 11-12, 2021 when guards at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility severely beat a number of inmates during unapproved late-night cell extractions. Several corrections officers were charged.
“We will continue in our mission of making NJDOC into a national model for reentry by investing in programs that support incarcerated New Jerseyans with opportunities, protect our hardworking officers, and keep our streets safe,” Kuhn said.” I look forward to working with the Gov.-elect on reducing recidivism, enhancing public safety, and improving our corrections system.”
Norbut Beyer is one of three original members of Murphy’s cabinet. She had told people in her department that she expected to leave, but Sherrill has not yet settled on her replacement.
