First there was the denial and big scandals, then public recognition, and what is happening now is that everyone is struggling to find an answer. Smith said that when she filed suit against the district in 1993, only 10 states had passed criminal laws making sex between an inmate and correctional staffers a felony or misdemeanor. Amnesty International compiled a virtual horror show of what the rights group said were cases of female prisoner abuse. The group stated that in many instances female inmates fear retribution if they report sexual abuse and, in cases where the incidents are reported, the charges are not properly investigated. However, Amnesty International said that since the launch of the campaign, Illinois, Montana, Nebraska, Virginia and Washington enacted laws offering some legal protection for women against sexual molestation and abuse.
Authorities say that women represent the fastest growing population in prison.
Between 1980 and 1993, the number of female prisoners increased about 313 percent, compared to 182 percent for men in the same period. Activist groups argue that sexual assaults and instances of sex between guards and inmates would decrease if more prisons used female guards to watch over female inmates, as is the policy in many other countries. However, Fitzgibbons said the pressures of the job sometimes push officers over the edge. Other times, it is pure manipulation either by the inmate or the guard. Charges carry jail time In Austin, the district attorney's office said the former jail staffers face varying prison sentence and heavy fines, depending on the charges lodged against them.