Massachusetts correctional officer suspended without pay after being accused of rape

A Massachusetts correctional officer has been suspended without pay after being accused of raping a woman in prison and purchasing underwear for inmates, the office of Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said.

Joao Gomes, 49, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was arraigned in Woburn Superior Court and arrested Wednesday on four counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault and battery, as well as three counts of delivering items to inmates in a reformatory.

He worked as a correctional officer at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Framingham.

Gomes was placed on paid leave effective May 13. He was suspended without pay following his arrest on September 4.

In 2020, the Police Reform Act provided that police officers who have sexual intercourse with or indecently assault a person in custody could be charged with rape or indecent assault.

“The Massachusetts Department of Correction strongly condemns these deeply disturbing allegations. They are a blatant violation of a correctional officer’s duty to ensure the safety of those entrusted to the DOC. The Department does not tolerate any form of sexual abuse or harassment,” a Department of Corrections spokesperson said in a statement. “We remain committed to preventing, detecting, and responding to such behavior and will vigorously pursue justice for victims of abuse. Upon learning of the allegations, the Department immediately placed the employee on administrative leave, launched an internal investigation, and referred the matter to the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office for review.”

This is the first case in Middlesex County charged under the updated law.

According to the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) dashboard (click here if you can’t see the dashboard above), in 2023 there was one substantiated case of sexual harassment between “staff and inmate,” five unsubstantiated allegations, and 19 unsubstantiated allegations. That same year there were eight unsubstantiated allegations of sexual abuse of an inmate by an employee, contractor, or volunteer, and 51 unsubstantiated allegations. There are still five allegations of sexual abuse involving an employee, contractor, or volunteer under investigation.

In the previous year, there were no substantiated cases of sexual harassment or sexual abuse allegations between “staff and inmates.” However, there were 10 unsubstantiated and 22 unsubstantiated allegations of sexual harassment, and 10 unsubstantiated and 38 unsubstantiated allegations of sexual abuse.

In 2021, there was one documented case of “staff-on-inmate” sexual harassment and two documented cases of “staff-on-inmate” sexual abuse. And in 2020, there were three documented cases of “staff-on-inmate” sexual abuse.