As incarceration numbers have topped out in recent years thanks to what looks like the beginning of the end of the war on drugs, women have gained a stronger foothold in the prison industry, getting jobs that—like so many others in America—have traditionally been dominated by men. But along with that progressive change has come a steady drip of lurid tales about sex between guards and inmates. Last week, Ciara Jones, a guard at the St. Louis City jail, was charged with three counts of sexual contact with an inmate, each punishable by up to four years in prison. We probably shouldn't be too shocked, though. There is no rule, regulation, or state of affairs a savvy prisoner cannot subvert. This has been proven many times over and is confirmed when you talk to long-time inmates.

Common logic dictates that prison guards should not have sex with inmates. But it seems like not everybody agrees with common logic. Some guards have no qualms about having sex with prisoners and vice versa. Pregnancies have even resulted.

A prison officer who had a sexual relationship with the notorious gangster Curtis Warren and got a tattoo of his name has been jailed for two years. Smithwhite denied that a hole cut in the trousers of her prison uniform was to facilitate sex acts, but the sentencing judge said it was hard to imagine why else it was there. Last month Smithwhite, from Boldon Colliery, South Tyneside, admitted two counts of misconduct in a public office.