Closure of troubled California prison won’t happen before each inmate’s status is reviewed
LOS ANGELES — The planned closure of a federal women’s prison in California notorious for staff sexual abuse of inmates will not take place until the status of each inmate is reviewed, with a view to determining who will be transferred to other facilities or released, say the authorities.
Following the Bureau of Prison’s sudden announcement on Monday that FCI Dublin would be closed, a judge has ordered an accounting of cases for all 605 women held in the main prison and adjacent minimum security camp.
A special master recently appointed to oversee the prison’s closure will review cases and “ensure inmates are transferred to the appropriate location,” U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers wrote in her order. “This includes whether an inmate should be released to a BOP facility, home confinement, or halfway home, or whether he should be granted compassionate release.”
It was not yet clear on Tuesday how long the process would take.
Advocates have called for the release of prisoners from FCI Dublin, which they say is not only plagued by sexual abuse but also suffers from dangerous mold, asbestos and inadequate health care. They also worry that some of the security problems at other women’s prisons could persist.
A 2021 Associated Press investigation uncovered a “rape club” culture at the prison, where a pattern of abuse and mismanagement stretched back years, even decades. The Bureau of Prisons repeatedly promised to improve the culture and environment — but the decision to close the prison represented an extraordinary admission that reform efforts have failed.
“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 prison,” Colette Peters, director of the Bureau of Prisons, said in a statement to AP. “This decision is made after continued evaluation of the effectiveness of these unprecedented steps and additional resources.”
Groups representing both inmates and prison staff said the impending closure shows the agency is more interested in avoiding responsibility than in defusing the problem.
The April 5 appointment of a special master felt like a turning point, said John Kostelnik, vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents guards and other prison staff.
“This place was finally on its way to being successful again. The special master would help us resolve the final issues so we can finally get some positive press and move forward,” Kostelnik said on Tuesday.
He said the agency’s procedures lacked transparency and called the closure a “slap in the face” to honest employees who worked overtime after more than 20 staffers were placed on administrative leave amid corruption investigations.
The agency has promised that no FCI Dublin employee would lose their job. But Kostelnik said union members could be sent to other facilities across the country.
“You have staff members who are well established in their community, they have family, their children go to local schools. And you may uproot all that without even a discussion,” he said. “They are devastated.”
Last August, eight Dublin FCI inmates sued the Bureau of Prisons, alleging the agency had failed to root out sexual abuse at the prison about 22 miles east of Oakland. It is one of six women-only federal prisons and the only one west of the Rocky Mountains.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs said inmates continue to face retaliation for reporting abuse, including being placed in solitary confinement and having assets confiscated. They said the civil suit will continue.
Last month, the FBI conducted another search of the prison and the Bureau of Prisons made another leadership shake-up after a guard sent to help rehabilitate the prison was accused of retaliating against a whistleblower inmate. Days later, a federal judge overseeing the lawsuits against the prison said she would appoint a special captain to oversee the prison’s operations.
The AP investigation showed that there had been a culture of abuse and cover-up for years. That reporting led to increased congressional oversight and commitments from the Bureau of Prisons that it would fix the problems and change the prison culture.
Since 2021, at least eight FCI Dublin employees have been accused of sexually abusing prisoners. Five have pleaded guilty. Two were convicted at trial, including former director Ray Garcia. There is another case pending.
Any sexual activity between a prison employee and an inmate is illegal. Correctional officers have substantial power over inmates, controlling every aspect of their lives, from mealtimes to turning off the lights, and there is no scenario in which an inmate can give consent.
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Associated Press writer Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles contributed to this report.