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Blake, Wm. Milton a Poem, object 41. 1811.

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At least 30 workers at the Kentucky Department of Corrections have engaged in sexual activities with inmates, a new investigation has discovered, with 59 employee-on-inmate offenses in total.

Of the 59 cases, 35 may involve criminal charges for acts like rape and sodomy. Other crimes, such as smuggling drugs and firearms, were also caught.

The situation has led to the removal of 62 employees across 13 Kentucky prisons and a minimum-security camp that houses over 11,300 inmates.

“Staff have complete control over inmates’ lives,” says James Wells, a prison and jail consultant. “They decide if you get extra toilet paper or extra toothpaste or if you don’t. If you’re in an environment where you have nothing to bargain with but your body when you’re dealing with people who hold all the power, then you might be forced to do things you wouldn’t ordinarily do.”