LANSING, Mich. (WWJ) — A former state corrections officer is heading to prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing multiple inmates while on the job.
Joshua Lee, 22, of Wyandotte, was sentenced to serve between 18 months and 15 years behind bars. Judge Arianne E. Slay handed down the sentence on June 18 in the 22nd Circuit Court in Washtenaw County after Lee pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a state prisoner.
According to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, Lee engaged in multiple sexual acts with several prisoners while employed as a corrections officer at the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility. He is no longer employed at the prison.
"No one is above the law, and everyone deserves safety from sexual abuse," Nessel said in a statement following the sentencing. "My office is committed to prosecuting those who weaponize their authority to exploit the very people they are assigned to monitor and protect."
The Michigan State Police initially investigated the abuse and referred the case to the Department of Attorney General. Lee was formally charged in November 2025 with four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct before ultimately striking a plea deal.
The high-profile conviction has prompted the Attorney General to push for immediate legislative changes in Lansing. While current Michigan law strictly criminalizes sexual contact by corrections officers, there is no specific statute addressing sexual penetration, which occurred in Lee's case.
Because of this legal loophole, prosecutors are forced to charge both improper contact and severe penetration offenses identically under the state's second-degree criminal sexual conduct statute.
Nessel is now urging the Michigan Legislature to update the law so that first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct statutes explicitly cover sexual penetration by corrections staff.
She says the update is necessary to better protect inmates and accurately reflect the true severity of these crimes.
