Federal Bureau of Prisons to close California women’s prison where inmates were SEXUALLY ABUSED

04/19/2024 / By Ava Grace

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has announced the closure of a women’s correctional facility in California that became notorious for rampant sexual abuse against inmates.

According to Just The News, the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Dublin, California was described as the “rape” club due to alleged rampant sexual abuse there. Multiple employees at the women’s prison have been accused of sexually assaulting inmates and retaliating against those who have tried to report it. In some cases, the abuse stretches back decades as per an investigation by the Associated Press (AP).

The BOP confirmed the closure of FCI Dublin, which is located near Oakland and houses 605 inmates, on April 15. The remaining prisoners will be transferred to another facility and all employees there will keep their jobs, it added. FCI Dublin is just one of six federal women’s prisons in the country.

“[BOP has] taken unprecedented steps and provided a tremendous amount of resources to address culture, recruitment and retention, aging infrastructure and – most critical – employee misconduct,” said BOP Director Colette Peters.

“Despite these steps and resources, we have determined that FCI Dublin is not meeting expected standards and that the best course of action is to close the facility. This decision is being made after ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of those unprecedented steps and additional resources.”

The announcement of FCI Dublin’s closure came 10 days after U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers named Wendy Still to serve as a special master to oversee the prison. The magistrate originally ordered the appointment of a special master in March, but did not name a specific candidate at the time. Still, who was the former chief probation officer of California’s Alameda County, boasts of extensive experience coordinating compliance with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act. (Related: California allows 47 biological men to transfer to women’s prison — approve no requests of biological women to move to the men’s estate.)

BOP allegedly failed to root out inmate abuse at FCI Dublin

“Advocates have called for inmates to be freed from FCI Dublin, which they say is not only plagued by sexual abuse – but also has hazardous mold, asbestos and inadequate health care,” the AP wrote.

Last August, eight FCI Dublin inmates sued the BOP, alleging that the agency had failed to root out sexual abuse. Amaris Montes, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said at the time that inmates continued to face retaliation for reporting abuse, including being put in solitary confinement and having belongings confiscated.

Montes later remarked that while she and her clients had suspected that the closure of FCI Dublin might be a possibility, the sudden decision that followed Still’s appointment as special master came as a shock. The lawyer added that the timing of the closure and the transfer of inmates were still being worked out, but expressed hope that both would be done in a measured way.

“It’s a signal that the prison knows that they are not meeting constitutional standards to keep people safe from sexual assault and sexual harassment. I think that the BOP is quick to try to transfer accountability and move accountability elsewhere as the way to remedy the issue. And that would mean … moving people quickly without addressing [their] needs right now.”

A former FCI Dublin inmate who is a whistleblower in the civil lawsuit lamented the closure. According to her, the decision “just feels wrong” because it undermines the long process of getting justice for the women who endured abuse and appalling conditions.

“We’ve worked so hard to get a special master in there to clean house, so to speak,” said the woman who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Pretty much the minute after that happened, they say they’re just going to close it down.”

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Watch former California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Lt. Hector Bravo discuss how male and female populations are mixed in the Golden State’s prison system.

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