Amanda Hock, Sexual Contact with Federal Inmate, OK 2024

Amanda Hock, 35, of Kingsland, Georgia, admitted in federal court today to engaging in illegal sexual contact with an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Oklahoma. The former correctional officer pleaded guilty to one count of sexual contact with a federal inmate, a crime that violates federal law and betrays the integrity of the prison system.

Hock, who worked as a correctional officer at FCI-El Reno until her resignation in December 2015, admitted during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot that she engaged in sexual contact with inmate B.C. on December 23, 2015. The act was not consensual under the law—federal statutes explicitly prohibit any sexual interaction between staff and inmates, recognizing the inherent power imbalance and coercive environment of incarceration.

Charged on September 13, 2016, under 18 U.S.C. § 2244(a)(4), Hock now faces 60 months of probation, with 180 days to be served on home detention. She was also ordered by Judge Friot to complete 104 hours of community service within the first year of her probation—a symbolic slap on the wrist for a breach of public trust that endangers institutional order and victimizes the vulnerable.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Barry, who emphasized that staff sexual abuse of inmates undermines safety, enables exploitation, and corrodes the legitimacy of the corrections system from within.

Federal law criminalizes all sexual relations between prison employees and incarcerated individuals under 18 U.S.C. §§ 2241, 2243, and 2244. The statutes recognize that an inmate cannot legally consent to sexual activity with someone in a position of authority. The law exists not only to protect inmates from abuse but also to maintain discipline and security behind bars—where even a single act of misconduct can unravel order.

Hock’s resignation in December 2015 came just days after the offense. Her guilty plea today closes a long chapter, but raises hard questions about oversight, accountability, and how many similar abuses go unreported. At FCI-El Reno—a facility with a history of violence and mismanagement—the fallout from such breaches hits hardest on those already stripped of freedom and voice.