Department of Justice probing sexual abuse claims at women’s prisons in California

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into allegations of systematic sexual abuse of incarcerated women at two state-run California prisons, the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation stated that it does not tolerate sexual abuse in its prisons and welcomes the investigation. The investigation was initiated in response to numerous private lawsuits over the past two years, with claims of rape and sexual abuse of women at the Chowchilla prison. A lawsuit on behalf of 21 women at the Chino facility alleges that correction officers committed acts of sexual abuse from 2014 to 2020. The Justice Department stated that correctional staff allegedly demanded sexual favors in exchange for contraband and privileges, and some of the accused officials were responsible for handling sexual abuse complaints. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Secretary, Jeff Macomber, emphasized that sexual assault is not tolerated in the state prison system. In a separate development, the federal Bureau of Prisons announced the closure of a women’s prison in Northern California following an investigation that revealed widespread sexual abuse by correctional officers. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or access RAINN’s online chat service for assistance.

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