(N.Morgan) The mentality of the new police officers and prison guards have reached a level of debauchery and disgusting antics, one has a hard time keeping up with all of the corruption. This week, James Johnson, a former Kentucky prison guard admitted to sexually assaulting inmates and being the prison drug dealer. Johnson worked at the Kentucky Correctional Institute for women in Pewee Valley, where he admittedly ran a drug ring inside the prison, and sexually assaulted a number of the inmates over a prolonged period of time. On Monday, the 54-year-old was sentenced to seven years of probation, as a part of a plea deal for charges of sexual abuse, trafficking in a controlled substance and official misconduct. Such a sentence for these crimes is unheard of, especially considering the magnitude and frequency of his offenses. When Johnson was initially booked two years ago, he was charged with 25 different counts of sexual abuse.
One disturbing detail about the sentence is the fact that Johnson received 5 years of probation for the drug charges, while receiving only 2 years of probation for the sexual assault charges, which should have been the more serious offense. “He’s really eager to put this behind him, he’s entered a plea to pursue North Carolina versus Alford, maintained his innocence throughout, common wealth thought it was a good resolution for all parties involved,” Johnson’s Attorney, Mary Rives, told reporters outside of the courtroom this Monday afternoon. Sexual abuse is horrifically common both in male and female prisons. Earlier this month, we reported on the story of Latandra Ellington, a woman who was serving time for tax charges in a Florida prison when she died under extremely suspicious circumstances. Days before her death, she had reported to her family that one of the correctional officers had threatened to kill her. Her family also suspects that Latandra was planning to speak out about rampant sexual abuse that was taking place in the prison.
What I find most sickening about this case is the fact this criminal, who was suppose to be supervising other criminals, will, unlike the inmates he abused, will receive NO time what-so-ever, just probation, a slap on the wrist. My father worked at one of the most notorious prisons in the mid-west for over 30 years and back then, the other guards would have gotten this guy. They wouldn’t have allowed this sort of thing to go on, since it would have put everyone in danger. There use to be extensive testing a potential guard would have to go through and pass and the process took about 6 months to complete. Now they seem to be hiring anyone who is going to abuse their position of power.