Around 30 prison guards in Kentucky engaged in inappropriate relationships with inmates over a span of 16 months. One female staff member even became pregnant by a prisoner. Additionally, 14 guards were found to have smuggled in drugs, as per a report.
Following an extended have trouble with state officials regarding access to records, The Herald-Leader newspaper acquired a collection of internal reports revealing instances of official misconduct within prison facilities. The documents were related to cases that occurred over a period of 16 months, concluding in November 2023, as per New York Post.
Criminal Activity in Kentucky State Prisons
A Herald-Leader investigation revealed 59 cases of employee-on-inmate sexual offenses in the past five years, with 35 cases involving possible criminal charges. Amanda Kulka was charged with third-degree sodomy for allegedly having a sexual relationship with an inmate half her age. At least 14 others were caught smuggling drugs like suboxone and meth into prisons in exchange for money. A total of 62 employees were either fired or resigned across 13 state prisons and a minimum-security prison camp, which together house more than 11,300 inmates.
Kentucky state prisons and other correctional facilities nationwide have issues beyond illicit relationships and smuggling, according to experts. A correctional officer's job is difficult due to boring everyday activities, unappreciation, underpayment, isolation, and overwork. At least eight prison personnel have been charged with rape, sodomy, or sexual assault recently.
Between March and July 2022, Todd Steven Boyce, 56, was accused of repeated sexual assaults on a prisoner. After a fellow officer witnessed Trista Fox, 39, having sex with an inmate at Kentucky State Penitentiary in Lyon County in December 2022, she was charged with third-degree rape Former Metro Corrections officer Cynthia Kosman was arrested for facilitating narcotics smuggling with prisoners and outsiders.
According to experts, guards at Kentucky state prisons fail to keep a safe distance from inmates, resulting in chaos. Staff exercise substantial influence over inmates' daily activities, sometimes leading them to engage in actions outside their usual behavior, according to Daily Mail.
Officers' Rule Violations in Kentucky Criminal Justice
An Owensboro probation and parole officer became pregnant with a probationer in 2023, breaching regulations against fraternizing, living with, or having sexual contact with criminals. The officer researched her boyfriend's criminal file using the Kentucky Offender Management System, a policy violation. The cop was sacked.
After a report that she was dating a prisoner, the Little Sandy Correctional Complex in Elliott County discharged a correctional guard in October 2022. An internal affairs captain noticed the convict moving between dorms one morning to meet with the officer 25 times in a few hours, which showed up obsessive
In 2022, a probation and parole officer in Western Kentucky sent flirty texts and gifts to a woman briefly assigned to him for supervision, calling her "babe" and "doll." He used the Department of Corrections' computer system to track her after she transferred to another officer and advised her to delete his texts.
A prison staffer at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex was declared guilty of promoting contraband in June 2023 after authorities found him transporting suboxone. He received five years of probation. An officer at Green River Correctional Complex pleaded guilty to promoting contraband in November 2022 after investigators found he helped convicts and others sneak suboxone and creatine into the jail, Kentucky Sports reported.
