Ex-jailer sorry for sex acts (Woman to register as offender for life)

Rocky Mountain News ^ | 05-16-03 | Karen Abbott

[Drew68]

Ex-jailer sorry for sex acts

Woman to register as offender for life

By Karen Abbott, Rocky Mountain News
May 16, 2003

A former federal prison official convicted of having sex with two inmates must get mental health treatment and be registered for the rest of her life as a sex offender.

Denver U.S. District Judge Marcia Krieger also sentenced Christine Achenbach on Thursday to five years of probation, with four months of unmonitored home detention and a $3,000 fine.

Achenbach could have received up to 10 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines.

Krieger said she personally didn't believe Achenbach should be registered as a sex offender but that Congress has limited judges' discretion in such cases. She suggested that Achenbach's supporters, many of whom came to court with her Thursday, write their representatives to urge more discretion for judges.

A jury convicted Achenbach in December of two misdemeanor counts of sexual abuse of a ward.

Achenbach was executive assistant and fourth in command at the maximum-security federal prison in Florence. She quit in May 2001 after the warden confronted her about allegations of sexual involvement.

"The past two years, I have done everything that I can to show the people that I work with, to show the people in the community where I live, the person that I really am," Achenbach told Krieger.

"If I could take it all back, if I could turn the clock back, you better believe that I would do that."

Krieger said the inmates are not the victims of Achenbach's crimes. "They probably enjoyed it," she said. "The victim here is the public."

"It's critically important, for security purposes, that there be a bright line distinguishing between the correctional officer and the inmate that prevents any personal relationship."

[Drew68]

A jury convicted Achenbach in December of two misdemeanor counts of sexual abuse of a ward.

FYI, the ward was an adult male, a private pilot, and (from what I read) a bit of a Lothario who was serving time for marajuana smuggling.

[goldstategop]

Hmm.... many male prisoners don't get a chance at having a woman behind bars. One has to wonder what favors were traded for sex.

[Drew68]

One has to wonder what favors were traded for sex.

I don't recall that any thing was traded. It was my understanding that she simply fell for the guy.

[lilylangtree]

This is different. Not surprising but different in the news.

[goldstategop]

Was it love or lust? We''ll never know. The article says the inmates weren't harmed but the public was. I agree that one should have sex on the government dime, but I beg to differ about her being labeled a sex offender for the rest of her life. That's unfair. Bubba should have been slapped hard with that warning.

[Drew68]

This is different. Not surprising but different in the news.

Please elaborate. I am not really clear what you meant.

[gcruse]

I beg to differ about her being labeled a sex offender for the rest of her life.

As do I.  Or have we crossed the line where heterosexual
relations between consenting adults is an act of perversion?
Those complaining about the degradation of society need to
be aware of this degradation of humanity, though I doubt

they'll weigh in on it.  When the going gets slippery, the
slippery get going.

[thegreatbeast]

"The past two years, I have done everything that I can to show the people that I work with, to show the people in the community where I live, the person that I really am," Achenbach told Krieger."
That's because she had her trial coming up- of course she was on good behavior!
If sexual harrassment is about Power rather than sex then the judge was way out of line. "Krieger said the inmates are not the victims of Achenbach's crimes. "They probably enjoyed it," she said. "The victim here is the public."
She has no standing to render such a judgement.
Mistrial!

[wardaddy]

Do you recall his name?

This stuff happens at all joints.

[wardaddy]

There was a sensational case in Miami about 10 years ago where a large scale Gringo dope smuggler was caught at the Federal building downtown in the US Attorney's private conference room having sex on a desk with his Treasury Agent "handler" by an assistant US attorney. They had been having a fling for sometime. She was good looking too and considerably younger. She would haul him out of Miami MCC for "writs" so they could have some "quality time". I think she was fired. He did about 7 years and is out now living in the Philipines last I heard.

[goldstategop]

Throw a beautiful woman with a reasonably good looking man together and you get sexual combustion. And people are surprised at human nature. Go figure.

[Drew68]

Do you recall his name?

Unfortunately I do not. I remember reading it several months ago and thinking to myslelf that it wasn't like this woman was screwing a serial rapist or something.

This stuff happens at all joints.

Particularly since we have female guards watching male prisoners, and with the increasing number of non-violent drug offenders filling our prisons, many of these prisoners are not despicable monstrous animals but decent human beings who are capable of loving and being loved.

[goldstategop]

The problem is you'd have to outlaw human feelings to stop prison guards from having sex with their charges. It ain't ever gonna happen and the day it does will be the day no one looks forward to going to prison or working there.

[Chemist_Geek]

Or have we crossed the line where heterosexual relations between consenting adults is an act of perversion?

Yes, when one party is incapable of consenting - the guy was a prisoner in her charge.

Reverse the roles - a male guard and a female prisoner. The alphabet networks would be shouting from the rooftops, laying this at Bush's feet and demanding that heads roll.

[goldstategop]

Of course its the sexism that would get the NOW NAGs and the Family Values types lined up as strange bedfellows. Its only wrong if a man does it. As for a woman... well you know boys will boys and they're supposed to be able to have fun.

[wardaddy]

Yep

[wardaddy]

Yes....and male guards at female joints results in much the same.

[gcruse]

Yes, when one party is incapable of consenting - the guy was a prisoner in her charge.

So it's a crime.  Not every crime makes someone a sex offender.

[lilylangtree]

Usually in the news, one hears about men taking advantage of women behind bars, but in this case, and by no means unusual, a female penal employee has an intimate relationship with a man behind bars. That's what I mean by different.

[Drew68]

So it's a crime. Not every crime makes someone a sex offender.

I agree. What she did was wrong but I equate it more to a college professor having sex with an adult student than a sex offense.

To render her a lifetime sex-offender is unjust. Unfortunately the judge was rendered powerless to do anything about this.

Which begs the question: Why do we even have judges anymore?