44-year-old man, Steven Moerman, was imprisoned on drug charges but alleges a "baby-mad" female prison counselor - Susan Lee Clingerman - with whom he fathered a child used him as "a virtual sex slave, demanding sexual gratification at her whim".
Clingerman claims she was having a consensual sexual relationship with Moerman, who fathered the child she gave birth to in April 2015. In a statement, Clingerman said she knew she "could get into trouble—including firing" for the relationship but did not know she "could be prosecuted for this."
Under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, however, prisoners cannot legally consent to sex with prison employees because of the inherent power imbalance. Thus, any prison guard, counselor, or other employee who has sex with a prisoner, no matter how theoretically willing that prisoner is, opens themselves up to liability for sexual assault.
This article is one of a series by Reason.com Journalist Elizabeth Nolan Brown on the prevalence of Law Enforcement/Corrections Officers preying on the vulnerable.
No comments:
Post a Comment