Former Hunterdon County Assistant Prosecutor to Lead NJDOC Special Investigations Division

January 14, 2022 – TRENTON, NEW JERSEY – Kelly Daniels, Esq, has been appointed by
The New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) Commissioner Victoria L. Kuhn, Esq., to
the newly created position of Assistant Commissioner of the Special Investigations Division. Ms.
Daniels, a former Assistant Prosecutor for the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office, is highly
regarded for the investigation and prosecution of child and adult sexual abuse crimes—including
cases arising out of the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women— Megan’s Law violations,
and crimes against the elderly and the institutionalized.

Ms. Daniels will supervise the Special Investigation Division (SID). This division oversees
criminal and administrative investigations into violations of New Jersey laws, departmental
policies and procedures, and violations of the Administrative Code by state-sentenced inmates,
employees, and individuals who visit NJDOC facilities. SID conducts investigations in
conjunction with federal, state, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies and oversees
several units ensuring the safety of the Department’s facilities, including but not limited to drug
detection, correctional gang and fugitive intelligence, and computer forensics.

“We are fortunate to welcome Ms. Daniels to our ranks,” said Commissioner Kuhn. “Ms. Daniels
is a respected leader in her field. She brings to the NJDOC a wealth of experience as a
prosecutor, litigator, and well-regarded figure in the criminal law field. Ms. Daniels has
significant experience to help both shape the Department’s cultural shift and overall mission, as a
prosecutor and investigator into the abuses at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women. Her
insight and leadership are valued and we look forward to positive outcomes with Ms. Daniels
joining the leadership team.”

As part of her oversight of the SID, Ms. Daniels will be instrumental in establishing a Special
Victim’s Unit (SVU) designed specifically to manage investigations of sexual harassment, abuse,
and the Prison Rape Elimination Act within the NJDOC facilities. “The SVU is a mission-critical
component of the Special Investigations Division,” added Kuhn. “We are confident that the
Department, under the guidance of Assistant Commissioner Daniels and the SID team will
establish a Special Victims Unit that sets the highest of standards to be utilized as a model by
others.”

“It is an honor to be part of the energy and resources that are now focused on prison reform in
the State of New Jersey,” said Ms. Daniels. “In my former capacity as an Assistant Prosecutor, I
worked closely with the SID for the past several years undertaking joint investigations. I
welcome the opportunity to now be part of the Department of Corrections to continue that work,
and to help solve any issues that challenge the Department’s mission to maintain safe facilities
and the respect and dignity for all those involved.”

Ms. Daniels is an alumnus of Rutgers Law School, where she received her Juris Doctorate.
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