A former corrections officer at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti will stand trial on multiple felony charges after a judge bound the case over to the 22nd Circuit Court in Washtenaw County earlier this week, finding sufficient evidence for it to proceed to trial.
Joshua Lee, a 22-year-old from Wyandotte, faces four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a state prisoner, each of which carries a potential penalty of up to 15 years in prison. The charges stem from allegations Lee engaged in multiple sexual acts with several incarcerated women while working as a corrections officer at the facility.
In a press release, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said it is the state’s responsibility to protect people in custody from abuse by those in positions of authority.
“Everyone deserves protection from sexual abuse, and Michigan has laws in place to keep people safe in our correctional facilities,” Nessel said. “My office will continue to hold accountable those who seek to use their positions of authority to abuse those under their care.”
Lee was initially charged in November 2025 and prosecutors allege that the conduct included acts of sexual penetration. Michigan law prohibits any sexual contact between corrections officers and prisoners — regardless of consent — due to the inherent power imbalance between corrections staff and incarcerated individuals. However, according to the press release, the law does not specifically address sexual penetration.
As a result, prosecutors are charging Lee with both contact and penetration offenses under second-degree criminal sexual conduct statutes, rather than under separate degrees that more explicitly reflect the severity of penetration offenses.
Nessel previously called for the Michigan Legislature to amend state law so first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct statutes explicitly cover sexual penetration by corrections officers.
Lee is scheduled to next appear before Judge Arianne E. Slay in the 22nd Circuit Court on Feb. 26.
Daily Staff Reporter Zahra Kagal can be reached at zkagal@umich.edu.
