Senators demand answers on plan to close CA prison where inmates were abused

• Nearly all inmates at California’s troubled women’s prison have been transferred out as it prepares to close.
• The closure plan prompted US senators to demand an explanation due to reports of chaotic transfers and abuse during transportation.
• The Bureau of Prisons claimed to sympathetically address the needs of prisoners, but faced criticism over the manner of the closure.

Almost all inmates have been transferred from the crisis-hit women’s prison to be closed in CaliforniaAnd US senators on Wednesday demanded an account of the plan to rapidly close the facility where mass sexual abuse by guards was carried out.

Donald Murphy, a spokesman for the Bureau of Prisons, or BOP, said that as of Tuesday only “a small group” of women were being held at FCI Dublin, with the majority of its 605 inmates having been transferred to other federal facilities this week. , He said an unspecified number of people living at the minimum security prison near Oakland were pending release or transfer to halfway houses.

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to the BOP expressing concern over claims of a chaotic transfer process, during which prisoners on buses and planes did not receive proper medical care and were allegedly subjected to “mistreatment, oppression, neglect and mistreatment.” Had to be a victim. On th eway.”

Bureau of Prisons to close California women’s prison where inmates have been subjected to sexual abuse

Susan Beattie, a lawyer for prisoners who spread rumors about prison conditions, said there were reports that guards made derogatory comments to the women during transport, “describing them as vile, referring to the closure of Dublin.” Additionally, Beatty said, despite minimum security classification, prisoners were shackled at their wrists and ankles during their long journeys and in some cases were even denied water and bathroom access.

The BOP did not immediately respond to the senators’ letter, but Murphy said the bureau was addressing the needs of all inmates with “compassion and respect” during the transfer process.

“This process involved careful planning and coordination to ensure the safe transfer of the women to other facilities, with particular attention to their unique programming, medical and mental health needs,” she wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “We are committed to helping each individual adjust to their new environment with the necessary care and support.”

A 2021 Associated Press investigation revealed a “rape club” culture at the prison where a pattern of abuse and mismanagement dates back decades. The Bureau of Prisons repeatedly promised to improve the culture and environment – ​​but the decision to close the facility represents an extraordinary admission that reform efforts failed.

FBI re-searches California federal women’s prison plagued by sexual abuse

Following the sudden announcement on April 15 that FCI Dublin would be closed, U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ordered a case-by-case review of each inmate’s specific needs before the transfer could begin.

In response, the bureau filed court papers questioning the authority of the special master appointed by the judge on April 5 to oversee the prison, who was tasked with reviewing the status of each woman. Prisoner advocates hoped the judge’s decision would slow the shutdown. But the bureau moved forward with the process nonetheless, saying in a court filing that “extensive resources and staff hours have already been invested in this step.”

five Senate Judiciary Committee Members on Wednesday asked Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters to provide information on preparations to close the facility and “guidance provided for the safe and humane release of individuals from custody or transfer to other BOP facilities.”

“Individuals detained at FCI Dublin have long endured a toxic carceral culture marked by sexual assault, harassment, and medical neglect at the hands of BOP staff. And now, a flawed and hasty closure and lack of transfer protocols And the women in custody are reporting hostility and retaliation from BOP employees who blame them for closing the facility, the letter, signed by New Jersey’s Democratic Senator Cory Booker, said. Unacceptable: Richard Durbin of Illinois; and Alex Padilla of California.

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BT said some of their customers have reportedly been sent to the facilities in TexasFlorida, Minnesota and West Virginia.

“These are women who used to be able to see their children, their parents and loved ones regularly. Now they are distraught because they have been isolated,” Beatty said.

Advocates have called for the majority of prisoners to be released – not transferred – from FCI Dublin, which they say not only suffers from sexual abuse, but also has dangerous mold, asbestos and inadequate health care. She is also concerned that some of the security concerns may persist in other women’s prisons.

Last August, eight inmates at FCI Dublin sued the Bureau of Prisons, alleging that the agency had failed to eliminate sexual abuse at the facility. His lawyers have said the civil suit will continue.