DUBLIN, Calif. (KRON) — The federal Bureau of Prisons is in the process of closing one of its prisons in the East Bay known as the “rape club.” Inmates endured rampant staff-on-inmate sexual abuse inside FCI Dublin for years until the warden and several guards were arrested by the FBI and prosecuted.
More than 600 female inmates are now in the process of being transferred out the East Bay to federal prisons outside of California.
U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ordered prison officials to review each FCI Dublin inmate’s case before the inmate is moved to a new location. A painstaking review of each incarcerated woman’s status will “ensure inmates are transferred to the correct location. This includes whether an inmate should be released to a BOP facility, home confinement, or halfway house, or granted a compassionate release,” the judge wrote.
The Dublin Prison Solidarity Coalition says women deserve to be freed from custody instead of transferring to another lockup. On Friday, a rally is being held in Dublin demanding freedom for FCI Dublin’s 605 inmates.
The coalition told KRON4, “The BOP announced the abrupt closure of FCI Dublin. Chaos unfolded inside the facility, traumatizing incarcerated people who have already been subjected to immense harm by the BOP, including rampant staff sexual abuse, retaliation, and medical neglect As soon as Judge Gonzalez Rogers … learned about what was happening, she issued an order that people at Dublin needed to be evaluated for possible release and medically cleared before they could be transferred. Despite the Judge’s order, the BOP has plowed ahead with the transfers.”
The coalition said inmates are currently being “shipped to BOP facilities across the country.” FCI Dublin is one of six women-only federal prisons.
Prison officials announced FCI Dublin’s sudden closure last week. The Bureau of Prisons previously promised to improve the prison, but the decision to shutter the facility represented an extraordinary acknowledgment that reform efforts have failed.
So far, seven FCI Dublin employees — including the former warden and chaplain, have been convicted of sexually abusing inmates. Some guards who abused inmates still have not been arrested, and remain working in the prison, according to a dozen lawsuits recently filed on behalf of several inmates.
Last month, the FBI searched the prison again. On the same day, the new warden was booted and accused of retaliating against a whistleblower inmate.
Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters said despite “unprecedented” attempts to change the prison’s culture and re-train the guards in hopes of preventing future misconduct, FCI Dublin was still falling below standards. Closing the prison was the best course of action, Peters said.
Advocates with Dublin Prison Solidarity Coalition said they interviewed 140 inmates who were abused by at least 20 different FCI Dublin employees.
“Survivors’ stories make clear that staff specifically targeted noncitizens for abuse. Several women who were sexually assaulted by Dublin staff have already been deported and many others are currently facing deportation,” advocates wrote.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
