Former South Woods Corrections Officer Sentenced For Beating Inmate

Monday, November 3, 2025, 11:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

BRIDGETON, NJ.- A 37-year-old Woodbury, New Jersey, man, a former South Woods State Prison Corrections Officer, will be spending the next five years in New Jersey State Prison, after being sentenced last Friday for his July 2025 conviction for physically assaulting an inmate.

     According to Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae, on Friday, October 31, 2025, Cortlen S. Flax, 37, of Woodbury, New Jersey, appeared in Cumberland County Superior Court and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Joseph M. Chiarello to five years in State Prison. In handing down the sentence, Judge Chiarello ordered Flax to serve the entire five years pursuant to the New Jersey State Sentencing Statutes.

     In July 2025, following a trial in Cumberland County Superior Court, a jury found Flax guilty of second-degree Official Misconduct; and a Disorderly Persons Offense of Simple Assault. During a September court hearing, Flax’s defense team argued for a new trial, which was denied by the court.

Evidence Presented At Trial Proved That Flax Struck Mr. Valdez

     At trial, the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office presented evidence that proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Flax, who was employed as a Senior Corrections Officer at South Woods State Prison, entered a prison cell assigned to Julio Valdez, of Jersey City, New Jersey, who was 61 years old at the time. Once inside the cell, Flax, without provocation, struck Mr.Valdez on the left side of the head, rupturing Mr. Valdez’s eardrum.

     Cumberland County Prosecutor Webb-McRae commended the investigative work of the New Jersey Department of Corrections Special Investigations Division, which resulted in the successful prosecution of Flax.