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| Proposed Wis. Law Would Punish Officers for Sex With Inmates |
| By Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel |
| Published: 03/03/2003 |
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A state law that would make sexual contact between officers and inmates a felony punishable by up to 40 years in prison has been proposed in the Legislature with strong bipartisan support. Wisconsin is one of only four states that do not specifically ban sexual contact between inmates and officers. Two attempts to make it a felony have failed in recent years after the union that represents prison officers opposed the effort. 'Why would you be opposed to this?' said Garey Bies (R-Sister Bay), who is chairman of the Assembly's Committee on Corrections and the Courts and a co-sponsor of the bill. 'To me it's a no-brainer. If they have sexual contact with an inmate, they should join the people that they're guarding, because they are no better than they are. It's the ultimate power and control situation where you're an officer and a person is in prison. The inmates really have no way of crying out about what is going on.' Marty Beil, executive director of the Wisconsin State Employees Union, did not return phone calls seeking comment. In an interview last month, Beil said his union continues to oppose such legislation. He said a criminal penalty is not needed 'if a person's job is taken away from them because of this activity.' The legislation, which was introduced in both the Senate and Assembly this week, is co-sponsored by 44 state representatives in the Assembly, including 11 Democrats, and has 11 co-sponsors in the state Senate, including two Democrats. The bill prohibits prison officers, and others who provide services to people confined in correctional institutions, boot camp supervisors and probation, parole and extended supervision agents from having sexual contact with a person who is under their control. The bill applies to state prisons, county or municipal jails and juvenile correctional facilities. The penalty is a fine of up to $100,000 or up to 40 years in prison or both. Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager said she supports the bill 'conceptually,' but would like to see some changes in the way the legislation is written. Under the proposed bill, she said, if an inmate sexually assaults a prison officer, both could be held criminally accountable. Since November, three officers at Taycheedah Correctional Institution have been investigated on allegations of sexual contact with inmates. One impregnated a 24-year old mentally ill prisoner and was fired. As the result of these investigations, at least four inmates have been placed in solitary confinement on allegations that they had personal relationships with officers overseeing them or that they lied about the officers. Three of the women were released from solitary after reports about them in the Journal Sentinel. Prison officials launched a new investigation into a fourth case in which an inmate had been accused of 'lying about staff' after a reporter began asking questions about her case. She was released from solitary after she passed a lie detector test last week. |
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