Woman sues Department of Corrections for sexual harassment

A woman filed a lawsuit today, alleging she was sexually harassed while working for the Missouri Department of Corrections.

In the lawsuit, the woman said she was working as a nurse when she was sexually harassed on Jan. 20 at the Jefferson City Correctional Center. An officer told her he had a “capture room where he promised to take her, drug her and rape her.”

The woman said while the officer made these comments, a sergeant working at the JCCC allegedly encouraged him and laughed at the comments. She also said the sergeant blocked a door leading out of the room, making it hard for her to leave. When she later threatened to report the comments, the sergeant told her the comments were not a big deal. She reported the comments afterward.

Following her report, the plaintiff says she was harassed and retaliated against at JCCC. She alleges both the Department of Corrections and the company that hired her, Corizon LLC, did not fully investigate the harassment. She says the retaliation caused her to be constructively discharged from her position in April.

In addition to the DOC and Corizon, five employees at the JCCC are listed as defendants.