Group Makes Claims of Abuse at Tutwiler Women's Prison in Wetumpka

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By CBS 8 News

A prisoner's rights group has asked the U.S. Justice Department to look into alleged sexual abuse of inmates by guards at an Alabama women's prison. 

The Equal Justice Initiative says it filed a complaint with the Justice Department on Tuesday. It claims guards at the Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka have raped inmates, sexually assaulted them, exchanged smuggled contraband for sexual favors and sexually harassed them.

 The Justice Department could not immediately be reached. The Alabama Corrections Department declined to comment on the allegations.

 The Equal Justice Initiative contends that guards use intimidation and threats of punishment to discourage women from reporting sexual abuse.

 The group claims it received numerous complaints over the last five years from women who say they've become pregnant after being raped by guards.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Angelica Johnson said on Thursday, May 24 at 7:41 AM

I am a junior at Stanhope Elmore High School and when I heard about these allegations that were being told, I said that is silly. Obviouslly the women were trying to get the guards to have sexual untercourse with them to ease their sexual tensions. Why would a guard risk his own job for a women. So I say that they should only hire female guards at the womens prisons and males at male prisons and maybe they wouldn't have that problem with allegations and lies. If some lies get told on women saying that they harassed them then something is seriously wrong.

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