Idaho lawmakers move to close gap in prison sex abuse law

Spurred by InvestigateWest reporting that exposed sexual abuse by Idaho women’s prison staff, lawmakers are advancing legislation meant to close a gap in state law that makes it difficult to hold correctional officers accountable.

The state’s “sexual contact with a prisoner” law protects inmates from abuse only when staff touch the victim’s genitals or they’re made to touch the genitals of staff, omitting abuses such as kissing or groping.

This falls short of federal Prison Rape Elimination Act standards, which prohibit all inappropriate touching and even suggestive comments or voyeurism by prison staff. Former prosecutors say the state’s narrow definition is partly why accountability for correctional officers accused of sexual abuse — even when a guard seemingly confesses to it — remains rare.