So far, 18 female guards have been fired or quit due to sexual allegations at HMP Berwyn, the most prominent British facility.
British outlets say that many female guards being fired or resigning from one facility is a record, but this isnt new for this facility.
Fox News reports, HMP Berwyn, which is also Britains largest facility, has been hit with various claims of illicit affairs and inappropriate relationships between guards and inmates since it opened in 2017, with three former workers sentenced in a 2019 scandal, the Mirror reported.
For example, a former guard named Jennifer Gaven received an eight-month sentence. She accepted money to sneak in a cell phone for an inmate, and then the two had fun sending each other racy pictures. Emily Watson is another guard handed a sentence for misconduct. She received a year for performing a sex act on an inmate and was allegedly having a fling with the man.
However, one person is blaming the hiring process. Mark Fairhurst says its because of how they hire people at the prison. Per Fox News:
Staff [being] recruited dont have face-to-face interviews its all done on Zoom, Fairhurst told the Mirror. A lot of people getting these jobs dont have enough life experience and are susceptible to conditioning from prisoners.
The prison has already received warnings about this situation because of the hiring process for women employees. Fairhurst says the numbers prove that the severe warnings held merit.
Now, the prison is taking steps to prevent the affairs from happening, such as requiring that personnel go through corruption training. Plans for enhanced security measures are underway to make getting away with things like affairs or smuggling items inside the facility more challenging.
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