TRENTON - A teacher at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton accused of having sex at least 20 times with an inmate was fired this week by the Department of Corrections, a department spokesman said Friday.

Chong-Hwa Chang, 42 of Delran, was arrested Jan. 31 and charged with one count of sexual assault after the state Department of Corrections discovered an ongoing sexual relationship with an inmate, prosecutors said.

Chong-Hwa Chang, 42. (Facebook photo)

Chang taught adult basic education at the prison for nearly nine years until her arrest, Matthew Schuman, a DOC spokesman.

He declined to comment on whether the inmate was one of the people Chang had taught at the prison.

Prosecutors said Chang kept a journal detailing the sexual relationship that indicated she twice became pregnant from the sexual encounters.

She was charged under the state's sexual assault statute because she had a supervisory role over the inmate, who is not named because he is a victim of a sexual assault.

After Chang's arrest, the department announced an intent to dismiss Chang as an employee on Feb. 8, Schuman said. She is no longer getting paid by the department, but she can appeal her firing, Schuman said.

The department's decision came a few days before Chang's first court appearance Thursday, during which prosecutors outlined the investigation into her alleged relationship with an inmate.

During a search of Chang's home, investigators found sexually explicit photos of Chang that were linked to the case, prosecutors said. After her arrest in January, Chang admitted to having sex with the inmate more than 20 times, prosecutors said.

Schuman said Chang was getting paid a $72,793 yearly salary.

A judge reduced Chang's bail from $75,000 to $50,000 at the hearing Thursday, prosecutors said.

Her attorney, Joshua Markowitz said he would not have any further information on the case Friday.

Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.