The worker at an Atlanta-based halfway house has been charged with sexually assaulting a federal prisoner who was in his care. Tristan Cox, a 33-year-old Residence Monitor at the Atlanta Residential Reentry Center (RRC), was charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia on Wednesday. He was seen by U.S. Magistrate Judge Justin S. Anand.
Cox is free on a $10,000 bond, but he is being accused of sexually assaulting a prison resident in a supply room during his overnight shift in April. U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a statement that this pledge to humane treatment includes contract facilities like halfway houses and contract workers like Cox. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that he is charged with serious behavior that hurt someone in our care and harmed the Department’s work.
The claims were made public after someone complained to the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Justice. After that, the FBI did a forensic investigation that supported the claim. DNA proof backed up what the inmate resident said. Special Agent in Charge of the DOJ Office of Inspector General Southeast Region, Eric R. Fehlman, emphasized that RRCs’ job is to help inmates safely return to society. He said, “Inmates should never experience assault of any kind at the hands of employees working in custodial settings,” according to the same press release.
The federal Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 makes it clear that sexual contact between workers and inmates is illegal, even if the inmates agree. The investigation is being led by the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Justice. The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bret R. Hobson and Brent Alan Gray. People should remember that the defendant is thought to be innocent until proven guilty, and that the charges are still just accusations at this time.
Anyone wanting more information can get it by calling the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Public Affairs Office or going to the website for the Northern District of Georgia’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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