Prosecutor orders prison 'pimping' case reopened

State Prosecutor Amit Aisman has ordered police to reopen a probe into claims that female guards at Gilboa Prison were forced to act as sexual bargaining chips for high-profile inmates.

The case, which has been described as “pimping,” was previously closed despite several soldiers serving as guards complaining of sexual harassment and assault. The allegations resurfaced last month after a top prison official mentioned them during an inquiry into an escape from the jail.

A prison guard stands at the Gilboa prison in northern Israel, Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

Guards claim they were put in close contact with certain prisoners, where they were sexually assaulted or harassed, as part of a tacit bargain between wardens and inmates to keep prisoners from rioting or making other types of trouble.