Female prison guard charged over 'inmate affair'

A female prison guard has been charged over an alleged affair with an inmate at Kempsey Jail.

A 34-year-old woman was arrested at her Smithtown home, north east of Kempsey, about 2.15pm yesterday.

She was taken to Kempsey Police Station and charged with misconduct in public office and larceny.

Police will allege she passed sensitive information to prisoners, engaged in a sexual relationship with an inmate and failed to disclose a conflict of interest relating to her role at the Mid North Coast correctional facility.

She also allegedly kept the contents of a parcel addressed to someone else that she collected from a post box in June.

The woman – who has been suspended by Corrective Services NSW – has been grated strict conditional bail.

She is due to appear in court on August 20.

If found guilty, police said she could face penalties ranging from a fine to four and a half years in jail.

The arrest comes after a whistleblower lifted the lid on an unfolding sex scandal inside New South Wales prison system.

The woman – who asked not to be named – told 9NEWS it is “commonplace” for prison guards and inmates to have sex inside the maximum-security prison where she works.