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| Wis. Inmate Punished After Reporting Sex |
| By Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel |
| Published: 02/10/2003 |
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A woman who tried to report sexual misconduct between an officer and inmate at Taycheedah Correctional Institution was branded a liar and punished with a year in solitary confinement, and she remains there even though the officer has been fired after impregnating another prisoner. Since then, another officer has quit rather than face an investigation into possible sexual misconduct with female inmates, and the inmate he regularly arranged to be alone with was punished with 120 days in solitary. 'We cannot allow this to continue,' said state Rep. Sheldon Wasserman (D-Milwaukee) reacting to the new revelations. 'The women are punished even more severely for coming forward. And the officer walks out scot-free and at the worst loses his job. I think it's shocking.' Wasserman, a member of the Assembly's Committee on Corrections and the Courts, said he would call for an immediate review of prison disciplinary policies that punish women for reporting sexual abuse or for personal relationships initiated by officers - a review a top state prison official said he would support. Unlike most other states, Wisconsin does not have a law specifically banning sexual contact between officers and inmates. Legislators from both parties renewed calls for a law to make sexual contact between prison employees and inmates a felony after the Journal Sentinel reported last month that inmate Jackie Noyes, 24, was impregnated by officer Matthew Emery. Prior attempts to pass such legislation failed after the state union representing prison officers objected. Emery was fired in November, and Noyes, who is mentally ill, was sent to solitary confinement for one year. That sentence was cut in half recently, but she remains in segregation in the prison's mental health unit, authorities said. Officials said last week she was 'being transitioned' to the general population. 'Women are actually the victims and are punished for reporting, and this is something that is widespread throughout the country,' said Sheila Dauer, director of Amnesty International USA Women's Human Rights program. 'That's why we're calling for a law that holds the correctional officer responsible, not the inmate.' Steve Casperson, administrator of the Division of Adult Institutions, said January 31 that he would support a review of prison disciplinary procedures and that increased staff training is needed from the warden on down. 'To my mind, it is an education and training issue, because the disciplinary code allows the warden to modify for mitigating circumstances whether it be the situation in your article or mental health issues,' Casperson said. He confirmed that Noyes' solitary confinement sentence was modified only after he became aware of the situation last month and told Taycheedah Warden Jodine Deppisch that it needed to be changed. Deppisch could not be reached for comment. |
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