The Federal Bureau of Prisons announced Monday that it plans to close a California women’s prison known as a “rape club” despite attempts to reform the troubled facility after an Associated Press investigation revealed rampant sexual abuse between staff and inmates.
Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters said in a statement to the AP that the agency had “taken unprecedented steps and provided a considerable amount of resources to address culture, recruitment and retention, to aging infrastructure – and, more importantly, to employee misconduct.”
“Despite these measures and resources, we have determined that FCI Dublin is not meeting expected standards and that the best solution is to close the facility,” Peters said. “This decision is made after ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of these unprecedented measures and additional resources.”
FCI Dublin, about 21 miles east of Oakland, is one of six women-only federal prisons and the only one west of the Rocky Mountains. It currently has 605 inmates – 504 inmates in its main prison and another 101 in an adjacent minimum-security camp. That’s down from the total of 760 inmates in February 2022. Women currently housed at the prison will be transferred to other facilities and no employees will lose their jobs, Peters said.
Advocates have called for inmates to be released from FCI Dublin, which they say is not only rife with sexual abuse but also has dangerous mold, asbestos and inadequate health care.
Last month, the FBI raided the prison again and the Bureau of Prisons again shook its leadership after a warden sent to help rehabilitate the facility was accused of retaliating against an inmate whistleblower. Days later, a federal judge overseeing the lawsuits against the prison said she would appoint a special master to oversee the facility’s operations.
A 2021 AP investigation revealed a culture of abuse and cover-ups that persisted for years at the prison. Those reports led to increased oversight from Congress and promises from the Bureau of Prisons that it would fix problems and change the prison culture.
Since 2021, at least eight FCI Dublin employees have been accused of sexually abusing inmates. Five pleaded guilty. Two were convicted at trial, including the former director, Ray Garcia. Another case is underway.
Last August, eight inmates at Dublin’s FCI sued the Bureau of Prisons, alleging the agency had failed to stamp out sexual abuse. Amaris Montes, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, said detainees continued to face retaliation for reporting abuse, including being placed in solitary confinement and having their property confiscated.
Any sexual activity between a prison employee and an inmate is illegal. Correctional employees wield considerable power over inmates, controlling every aspect of their lives, from meal times to lights out, and there is no scenario in which an inmate can give consent.
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