A former correctional officer at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility has been sentenced this week for criminal sexual conduct.
According to a written statement from the Michigan Department of Attorney General, 22-year-old Joshua Lee, of Wyandotte, pled guilty on April 23, 2026, to one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a state prisoner. Lee was sentenced today, June 18, 18 months to 15 years with the Michigan Department of Corrections, Jim Gallagher told The Eastern Echo. Gallagher is the judicial attorney for Judge Arianne E. Slay in the 22nd Circuit Court in Washtenaw County. Lee already has 80 days of jail credit.
Criminal sexual conduct is defined as non-consensual sexual touching of an intimate part of another person. It primarily involves intentional, unauthorized sexual contact that does not involve physical penetration. When in the second degree, it usually involves additional circumstances, such as using force or authority to coerce a victim.
Prosecutors said Lee engaged in multiple sexual acts with several prisoners while working as a corrections officer at Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Pittsfield Township.
Lee was originally charged last November with four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a state prisoner following an investigation referred to the Attorney General’s office by the Michigan State Police.
“No one is above the law, and everyone deserves safety from sexual abuse,” Michigan State Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a previous written statement. “My office is committed to prosecuting those who weaponize their authority to exploit the very people they are assigned to monitor and protect.”
The investigation involved collaboration between the Michigan Department of Corrections, Michigan State Police and prosecutors from the AG's office, Nessel said in the statement.
Nessel also highlighted in the statement what she described as a gap in Michigan State law. While state statutes criminalize sexual contact between corrections officers and prisoners, there is no specific law addressing sexual penetration.
In her statement, Nessel urged the state legislature to amend a state law that first to third degree sexual assault explicitly cover sexual penetration by corrections staff.
Editor's note: this story was updated June 18, 2026, to include additional sources and information about the law.
