A historic settlement has been reached by inmates at a recently closed, scandal-plagued Bay Area women’s prison known as “the rape club.” The inmates filed a class-action lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons, alleging sexual abuse, medical neglect, and retaliation by prison guards at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin. The settlement includes increased oversight and protections for approximately 500 inmates who were transferred to federal prisons across the U.S.
The consent decree reached requires monitoring of staff abuse and retaliation, medical care, early release credits, and timely release to halfway houses. It will be enforced by court oversight for the next two years and is the first of its kind in BOP history to be applied across more than a dozen federal women’s prisons nationwide. The agreement also includes provisions to prevent retaliatory behavior, provide confidential reporting mechanisms, restore early release credits, expunge invalid disciplinary write-ups, and issue a formal apology to survivors of staff sexual abuse.
The closure of FCI Dublin was prompted by ongoing abuse and inadequate staffing, and eventually made permanent due to staggering costs to repair infrastructure. A special master appointed to oversee the prison cited inhumane conditions and emphasized the need for systemwide changes. Attorneys and advocates involved in the settlement stressed the importance of monitoring and enforcement to ensure that the agreed-upon changes are implemented for the benefit of current and former inmates. The inmates hope for healing and are pleased with the outcome but emphasized the need for continued vigilance to hold the Bureau of Prisons accountable.
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