New Jersey's women's prison is now the subject of nearly a dozen lawsuits alleging widespread sexual abuse and exploitation of inmates as state corrections officials face a looming federal civil rights investigation, NJ Advance Media has learned.

The Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Hunterdon County has seen four staff members convicted of abusing prisoners over the last two years, including one officer who pleaded guilty this week. Three other officers still face trials and county prosecutors say their criminal probe is ongoing.

An NJ Advance Media review of court records found at least 11 pending lawsuits related to sex abuse allegations, some of which have not been previously reported. They include two class-action suits alleging systemic problems at the prison.

State authorities are trying to stave off the lawsuits, citing multiple pending investigations, meaning it could take years to get to the bottom of what went wrong behind prison walls.

One suit, filed in February by an inmate identified only be the initials S.D., claims there exists "a widely acknowledged understanding" at the prison, "by both inmates and corrections officers, that corrections officers had sexual contact and sexual relationships with inmates under the custody and control" of the state.

Under state law, any sexual contact between inmates and staff is a crime because prisoners cannot consent.

Firms representing inmates are also preparing additional suits, and one attorney, Oliver Barry, said he represents 10 women so far, including witnesses who have testified in the criminal cases. Several of the suits also name officers not yet charged in the criminal inquiry.

The prison, located in Union Township, has faced increased scrutiny in recent months as allegations of abuse and the exchange of contraband for sex among inmates and staff pile up.

The problem has been the focus of multiple investigations spanning two administrations, prompted legislative hearings and led to the ouster of New Jersey's former corrections commissioner, Gary Lanigan, who retired just a week after the federal probe was launched.

A state corrections spokeswoman, Alexandra Altman, told NJ Advance Media the new administration, led by acting Commissioner Marcus Hicks, "is committed to holding officers to the highest standards and there will be serious consequences for those who jeopardize the safety and security of the offenders in our care."

Court records show attorneys for the state Attorney General's Office, which is representing the department, have asked judges overseeing the civil cases to put the brakes on them until the criminal trials and federal probe are over.

At least six cases filed in Mercer and Hunterdon counties are now on hold after judges granted those requests in May.

But current and former inmates won a partial victory this week when a judge ruled that inmates in one of the class-action suits could sue the corrections department for violating New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination.

That suit, filed by Barry's firm and class-action attorneys at the firm Stark and Stark, details a lengthy history of abuse cases at the prison going back to the early 1990s.

State corrections officials, meanwhile, are preparing for a visit from a team of federal lawyers, investigators and experts in sexual abuse as part of the civil rights investigation launched in April by the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark.

An eight-page letter sent by federal authorities in May and later obtained by NJ Advance Media sought a wide range of documents concerning how the prison handles sex abuse claims, staff training and internal investigations going back to 2013.

The letter states that federal officials will visit the prison this summer.

"During our tour, we plan to review documents and conduct interviews with inmates and staff to evaluate allegations regarding sexual abuse of inmates," the letter said.

Altman said her department was "fully cooperating with the investigation and is in the process of providing all materials requested."

She said federal officials would be visiting the prison "in the near future," but did not specify when.

A spokesman for the state Attorney General's Office, which in addition to defending the lawsuits has commissioned a separate review of the prison by a private law firm, declined to answer questions for this report, citing the pending civil cases.

READ THE LETTER OUTLINING THE SCOPE OF THE FEDERAL INVESTIGATION



S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.