New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has vowed to fix the state's troubled jail system in the wake of a WNYC investigation that found increasing rates of deaths in custody and a lack of oversight by the state. 

Reporters Audrey Quinn and Matt Katz found that by one count, the Garden State had the highest rate of deaths in custody of any large jail system in the country, driven largely by an increase in suicides related to drug addiction and mental illness.

In a statement to WNYC, Murphy said the issue was "deeply troubling" and would fix the system "using any existing authority or, if need be, working with the Legislature to provide new authority.”

Attorney General Gurbir Grewal echoed the governor.

"I'm aware of the issue, I'm troubled by the issue, but we are somewhat limited in commenting on whether we have open investigations or not and so I'll leave it at that," Grewal said.

The jails are run by each county, and the state Department of Corrections has limited ability to hold them accountable. An agency spokesperson said the DOC sets the rules, but it's up to each to jail to follow them.

State Sen. Kip Bateman, a Republican who sits on the Law and Public Safety Committee, told WNYC that the legislature should take on the issue too.

"Absolutely. I'm gonna take a lead role in trying to make the conditions better and trying to cut down on the number of deaths that are occurring in our jails," Bateman said.