Strip convicted employees of benefits

OPINION:

Members of Congress are looking into FCI Dublin, a federal women’s prison in California where inmates claim they have been sexually abused by the male staff. Thus far four employees, including the former warden and the former chaplain, have been arrested.

Presuming some of these people are convicted of crimes such as indecent assault or rape, I imagine they will get at least a few years to serve in federal prison themselves. They will be very popular with the other inmates and will probably ask to be placed in protective custody.

What galls me is their convictions will have no effect on their civil service pensions. For example, the former warden, Ray J. Garcia, has at least five years as a government employee and is thus vested, meaning he can draw a lifetime pension when he reaches retirement age. Civil servants can draw their pensions while in prison, even if they were convicted of murder.

One nice thing about the military legal system is that a court-martial conviction can result in one losing their military retirement, or if allowed to retire the compensation is usually at a lower paygrade.

Congress needs to come up with a legal process under which a civilian government employee could lose their retirement benefits or be reduced in paygrade for crimes committed as a government employee. It could be part of the actual sentencing in federal court or through another legal mechanism. My proposal would have bipartisan support in Congress and from the majority of Americans. It would even save the government money.

Cmd. WAYNE L. JOHNSON

Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Navy (retired)

Alexandria, Virginia