The Bureau of Prisons has announced the closure of a notorious women's prison in California, dubbed the "rape club" facility, following allegations of widespread sexual abuse by staff on inmates.
Despite attempts to reform the troubled facility after an Associated Press investigation exposed rampant misconduct, the decision was made to shut it down.
Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters said the agency had "taken unprecedented steps and provided a tremendous amount of resources to address culture, recruitment and retention, ageing infrastructure and - most critical - employee misconduct."
"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," Peters said. "This decision is being made after ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of those unprecedented steps and additional resources."
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The scandal ridden Federal Correctional Institute at Dublin is closing (KTVU)The closure of Dublin is a significant admission by the Bureau of Prisons that its efforts to improve the facility's culture and environment have failed. Many attempts were made to rectify the issues at Dublin after the AP investigation revealed a pattern of abuse and mismanagement spanning years, even decades.
Just 10 days before the closure announcement, a federal judge extraordinarily appointed a special master to oversee the prison.
Campaigners are demanding the release of inmates from FCI Dublin, a women-only federal prison hit by allegations of sexual abuse and poor living conditions. The facility, located roughly 21 miles east of Oakland and the only one of its kind west of the Rocky Mountains, currently detains 605 prisoners. This number has decreased from 760 in February 2022.
The incarcerated women will be relocated to different institutions, according to Peters, with no staff facing redundancy.
Calls for liberation have intensified amidst reports of not just rampant sexual misconduct but also exposure to dangerous mould, asbestos, and subpar medical services at FCI Dublin.
In a lawsuit against the Bureau of Prisons last August, eight inmates claimed the agency hadn't adequately addressed the sexual abuse issues. Amaris Montes, representing the plaintiffs, highlighted ongoing retaliation against those reporting abuse, including solitary confinement and confiscation of personal items.
Montes expressed that while they had considered the possibility of the prison's closure, the abruptness following the appointment of a special master was unexpected.
"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," she remarked on Monday.
Details regarding the timeline for the shutdown and inmate transfers are still under discussion, but Montes is advocating for a carefully managed process.
Whistleblowers reported a pattern of sexual abuse at the prison (KTVU)"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, you know, moving people quickly without addressing people's needs right now."
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She said that many inmates struggle with physical and mental health issues that require immediate attention, while others may be eligible for release.
The whistleblower in the civil lawsuit, who previously served time at Dublin, said the sudden announcement of closure "just feels wrong" because it jeopardizes the lengthy process of seeking justice for the women subjected to abuse and terrible conditions.
"We've worked so hard to get a special master in there to clean house, so to speak," stated the woman, who wished to remain anonymous due to her whistleblower status in an ongoing case. "And pretty much the minute after that happened, they say they're just going to close it down."
She declared that relocating hundreds of prisoners across the country away from their families was inhumane. "What the women have gone through at this facility, the abuse they suffered, that was punishment," she remarked.
"They're all low security. Send them home, send them to supervised relief. Let them be productive members of society."
On Monday, two buses were seen moving around the car park of FCI Dublin. Prison staff were spotted shifting luggage and supplies between the buildings and buses.
In a recent development last month, the FBI once again conducted a search at the prison, and the Bureau of Prisons reshuffled its leadership following accusations that a warden sent to rehabilitate the facility was retaliating against a whistleblower inmate.
Shortly after, a federal judge overseeing lawsuits against the prison announced she would appoint a special master to supervise the facility's operations. An AP investigation in 2021 uncovered a culture of abuse and cover-ups that had been ongoing for years at the prison. This report led to increased scrutiny from Congress and promises from the Bureau of Prisons to rectify issues and change the culture at the prison.
Since 2021, at least eight FCI Dublin employees have faced charges of sexually abusing inmates. Five have pleaded guilty. Two, including former warden Ray Garcia, were found guilty at trial. Another case is still pending.
Any sexual activity between a prison worker and an inmate is illegal. Correctional employees hold significant power over inmates, controlling every aspect of their lives from mealtime to lights out, and there is no scenario in which an inmate can give consent.
Advocates for inmates are expressing concerns that the safety issues plaguing FCI Dublin might just be transferred to other women's prisons.
"The problem isn't solved by shipping these girls to new facilities," a former Dublin inmate and whistleblower, who requested anonymity, told us. "These facilities still have the same issues."
Montes has made it clear that the legal battle will press on despite the prison's impending shutdown.
"The BOP is the defendant in the case. It's not FCI Dublin," Montes asserted. "And so we are in the mindset that this did not end our case - that they still have a responsibility to our clients to keep them safe."
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