DOJ says women's prisons allow staff to abuse prisoners

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(The Center Square) - The U.S. Department of Justice has accused California’s women’s prisons of violating the U.S. Constitution by failing to protect female prisoners from sex abuse by staff.

The DOJ mentioned three parties in Thursday’s announcement: the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla and the California Institute for Women (CIW) in Chino. Chowchilla is in Central California, and Chino is in Southern California.

Federal authorities say these entities are violating female prisoners’ Eighth and 14th Amendment rights. 

“I'll give you an example,” said Harmeet K. Dhillon, the assistant U.S. attorney general for civil rights.

”In May of 2024, CDCR sustained multiple sexual misconduct allegations against a CIW sergeant for providing contraband in exchange for sexual favors from prisoners. He was caught on camera caressing a prisoner's breasts and turning off his body camera," Dhillon said during a press conference Thursday.

Dhillon added that “female prisoners have the constitutional right to be free from sexual assault and harassment” by prison staff.

“This deliberate indifference to the suffering of female prisoners at the hands of prison staff is illegal, and the Civil Rights Division will end this brutal abuse,” said Dhillon.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli with the Central District of California called the alleged abuse unacceptable.

"They're unconscionable and should serve as a turning point in California's failed state prison system and the way they handle these types of allegations,” Essayli said at the press conference.

The Center Square reached out Thursday to CDCR for comment, as well as California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Gov. Gavin Newsom. The two Democratic officials and the CDCR did not respond by publication time.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, investigators uncovered a long-standing pattern of staff sexual misconduct and abuse, driven by inadequate safeguards, compromised confidential reporting channels, flawed investigative practices and a lack of accountability.

The DOJ concluded that CDCR and the named facilities fail to effectively implement the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA).

Meanwhile, the U.S. DOJ has issued remedies such as expanded camera coverage, enhanced staff training, and better channels of communication and reporting.

California has 49 days to address the DOJ's concerns before the U.S. attorney general's staff may file a lawsuit under the federal Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA).

In a press release, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant of the Eastern District of California, said this situation is “exactly what Congress intended CRIPA and PREA to address.”