A correctional officer at a women’s prison in Alabama is charged with sex crimes against an inmate, officials said.

The Alabama Department of Corrections Law Enforcement Services Division and the U.S. Marshals Service Task Force arrested Laquentin Brantley, 34, on Thursday, Nov. 7, in Montgomery, according to an ADOC news release shared with McClatchy News. ADOC, which oversees the prison, did not immediately respond Nov. 11 to McClatchy News’ request for comment.

Brantley, who is a correctional sergeant at Tutwiler Women’s Facility in Wetumpka is charged with custodial sexual misconduct, officials said.

According to court documents, an inmate accused Brantley of sexually assaulting an inmate Oct. 18, WAKA reported.

The inmate told law enforcement in an Oct. 25 interview that Brantley also threatened to write her up for disciplinary action “any time he felt like it” if she did not cooperate, WSFA reported.

Brantley is on mandatory leave and is being held at the Elmore County Jail, the ADOC said.

Wetumpka is about a 16-mile drive northeast from Montgomery.

Tutwiler Prison

The Tutwiler Prison for Women has a history of sexual abuse, according to the Equal Justice Initiative.

A 2014 investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that women at the prison were often subjected to sexual violence by employees.

“Tutwiler has a history of unabated staff-on-prisoner sexual abuse and harassment. The women at Tutwiler universally fear for their safety,” the DOJ wrote in the 36-page report.

The investigation also found that the sexual abuse was heavily underreported due to “insufficient staffing and supervision, inadequate policies and procedures, a heightened fear of retaliation, and an inadequate investigative process.”

As a result of the investigation, the state entered a consent agreement, which called for a federal court to have oversight on the operations of Tutwiler.

Earlier this year, the DOJ scaled back its oversight, terminating 38 of the 44 provisions provided in the consent agreement, according to a Sept. 26 ADOC news release.

“This joint motion to terminate most of the requirements on this consent decree is a credit to our entire team and their dedication to our department and our state,” ADOC Commissioner John Q. Hamm said in the release. “We look forward to ending all court oversight of Tutwiler in the near future.”

If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom.

-------

©2024 The Charlotte Observer. Visit at charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.