Tara Brooks has been charged over a relationship with a prisoner. Credit:Fabrice Meuwissen

A former female prison officer has been charged after she was allegedly involved in a romantic relationship with an inmate in a Sydney prison.

Tara Brooks, 33, has been dismissed by the operator of the prison, GEO Group, over the alleged relationship.

Police began investigating after they received reports that a corrections officer had been involved in an inappropriate relationship with a male inmate at Parklea Correctional Centre.

Following inquiries, she was arrested at a home at Stanhope Gardens, in Sydney's north-west, on Wednesday.