Federal authorities investigate rampant sexual abuse of women in two California prisons

Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse.

On Wednesday, federal prosecutors announced a civil rights investigation into the sexual abuse of women in two California prisons, citing numerous reports of groping, inappropriate touching and rape by correctional officers.

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation violated the rights of women at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino by failing to protect them from sexual abuse by prison staff.

The move came after dozens of women detained in the two prisons over the past two years filed multiple lawsuits against the Prison Department, alleging that they were sexually harassed, molested and raped by prison staff under the guise of authority.

The lawsuits name more than 30 current and former correctional officers. The charges graphically document allegations of sexual abuse dating back more than a decade. The complaints also allege that the women were punished and sometimes further abused when they were most vulnerable for reporting their attackers.

Since 2014, at least 17 correctional officers at California women's prisons who were accused of sexual misconduct have been fired, resigned or retired, records show. But data on sexual abuse in prisons shows few disciplinary consequences for correctional staff despite hundreds of complaints – and most of the allegations were unfounded.

“No woman incarcerated in a prison or jail should be subjected to sexual abuse by prison staff who are constitutionally obligated to protect her,” said Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “Every woman, including those in prison, retains basic civil and constitutional rights and should be treated with dignity and respect. California must ensure that people incarcerated there are housed in conditions that protect them from sexual abuse.”

“Correctional officers at both facilities reportedly demanded sexual favors in exchange for contraband and privileges,” Clarke alleged, adding: “I would like to point out that the correctional officers named in these allegations are of varying ranks, and even include the very people responsible for handling complaints of sexual abuse by women incarcerated at these facilities.”

In a statement on the investigation, CDCR Secretary Jeff Macomber said, “Sexual assault is a heinous violation of basic human dignity that will not be tolerated under any circumstances in the California prison system. Our department is committed to transparency and we fully welcome the U.S. Department of Justice's independent investigation.”

Clarke said the investigation would examine hundreds of women's reports of inappropriate touching, groping and rape.

“Sexual abuse and misconduct will not be tolerated in prisons,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District.

“Concern about the physical safety of those in California's women's prisons is nothing new,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert for the Eastern District of California. “Media reports, government audits, legal efforts, and private litigation have attempted to draw attention to a problem that often goes unnoticed by many in society.”

Clarke said no conclusions have been drawn at this point, but federal prosecutors painted a grim picture of the allegations made by the women held in California's two prisons.

The federal government's action came as a lawsuit accusing a former correctional officer at the Central California Women's Facility of numerous sexual assaults is set to go to trial in a California court. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 21 women incarcerated at the California Institution for Women and includes allegations of rape, groping and oral sex, and threats of violence and punishment through abusive behavior from 2014 to 2020.

In addition, hundreds of lawsuits with similar allegations have been filed against employees of the Central California Women's Facility over the past decade, Clarke said.

The pending lawsuits against state corrections officials are giving federal prosecutors a snapshot of the alleged depravity and inaction of prison authorities. For example, a Chino prison sergeant is accused of more than 40 often brutal rapes and other sexual assaults in 2015. And a former Chowchilla prison officer, Gregory Rodriguez, is awaiting trial on 96 counts of sex crimes against nearly a dozen women incarcerated there.

Sexual abuse of incarcerated women is a widespread problem in prisons across the country. Government surveys show that more than 3,500 women are sexually abused by prison staff each year. And it's a problem in both federal and state prisons.

In April, the Federal Bureau of Prisons closed the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, where more than a half-dozen correctional officers and the former warden had been charged or convicted of sexually abusing female inmates. The prison was so plagued by sexual abuse that it was known among inmates and staff as a “rape club.”