* If true, this situation just cannot be tolerated. I’m glad the prison is closed after reading these stats, but it ought to go without saying that the assaults by staff on juvenile inmates are absolutely unacceptable. Heads really need to roll…

Nearly one in five inmates at a now-defunct Joliet, Ill., youth prison reported being victims of sexual assault, one of the highest rates of any youth detention center in the country, according to a report released Thursday morning by the U.S. Department of Justice.

In survey results published Thursday, 21 percent of inmates at Illinois Youth Center-Joliet, a high-security juvenile detention center that was closed this year in a cost-cutting move by Gov. Pat Quinn, reported they had been sexually assaulted by other inmates or had sexual contact with a staff member.

That percentage was more than double the national average of just under 10 percent, according to the report, “Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth.”

Overall, the rate of sexual victimization of Illinois youth prisons was more than 15 percent, higher than all but four other states.

Most of the respondents said the sexual contact was with staff of the facility, with only 2 percent reporting unwanted sexual contact with other inmates.

Absolutely, totally disgusting.

* Speaking of intolerable situations, IDOC Deputy Director Ty Bates has once again been accused of sexual harassment. After the last incident, Bates was promoted to his current position as Deputy Director of IDOC’s Southern Region. According to WILY Radio, he is reportedly Gov. Pat Quinn’s southern Illinois campaign coordinator.

*** UPDATE *** The governor’s office denies that Bates is the southern Illinois campaign coordinator. “That is 100 percent false,” was the quote.

Check out this alleged exchange between Bates and a female officer, identified as “R/O” for “reporting officer”…

The reported messages allegedly started the afternoon of April 3, 2013, with Bates sending the R/O a message from his “personal, private cell phone number.”

In that message, he reportedly told the R/O she is “very shy” and he didn’t remember her being that shy. Later that same day, he allegedly messaged her saying he would be in the town of her facility the next night and offered to buy her a drink if she would be willing to pick him up, as he would be in his state issued vehicle. She reportedly declined, but Bates allegedly responded with, “If memory serves me right you bought yourself a new set of boobs?”

After she confirmed his question, he reportedly responded that he couldn’t tell with her uniform and said, “I wouldn’t mind seeing them to see if they’re perfect.” She reportedly did not respond. […]

The final string of text messages were reportedly not sent until April 8, 2013, with Bates reportedly messaging the R/O that she looked good in yellow, and the R/O responding “spring colors.”

Bates then allegedly inquired if the R/O was wearing spring colors “underneath,” ultimately following with, “I’d like to see what’s underneath.”

The R/O reportedly returned to her normal duty station eight days later.

Ugh.