A 27-year-old jail worker is facing a jail term on serious accounts of sexual assault on a prison inmate.
Earlier this year, Kayla Mae Bergom from Iowa, was charged with having sex with the prisoner on multiple occasions. A court trial is set for August 12, where Kayla will be facing three charges of sexual misconduct.
The sexual misconduct between Kayla and the prison inmate was said to have started between the period of 2020 and 2021 at the Tama County Jail in Iowa
In a statement issued against Kayla, her sexual relations with the 29-year-old inmate, was said to have occurred in the prison’s recreating yard and utility closet. However, Kaylor pleaded not guilty in May.
Should Kayla be found guilty, she would be in serious trouble as, under federal law, it is an offense for prison staff to have sex with an inmate. It was stated in a 2005 report by the Department of Justice, office of the inspector General that:
“Even if a sexual act would have been considered consensual if it occurred outside of a prison, by statute, it is criminal sexual abuse when it occurs inside a prison.”
Also, a prison rape elimination report in 2009 states that: “Prisoners should never be punished for sexual contact with staff, even if the encounter was allegedly consensual. The power imbalance between staff and prisoners vitiates the possibility of meaningful consent, and the threat of punishment would deter prisoners from reporting sexual misconduct by staff.”
Judging by these reports, things wouldn’t go well for Kayla if she is found guilty of the charges leveled against her.