California Coalition for Women Prisoners, et. al. v. United States of America Federal Bureau of Prisons, et. al.
Rights Behind Bars, along with our co-counsel Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP (RBGG), and the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (CCIJ), are bringing a class action lawsuit against the Bureau of Prisons, FCI Dublin officials, and several individual officers.
The plaintiffs are eight survivors of staff sexual abuse and retaliation at Federal Correctional Institution Dublin–a federal women’s prison in Dublin, California—and the California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP).
This case is a putative class action on behalf of all people incarcerated at FCI Dublin, where inadequate systems for preventing, detecting, investigating, and responding to staff sexual abuse put everyone at the facility at risk. The plaintiffs in this case have endured horrific abuse and exploitation at the hands of prison employees, including but not limited to: rape and sexual assault; manipulation and sexual coercion; rampant degrading sexual comments; voyeurism and taking and sharing explicit photos; drugging, groping, and other forms of abuse during medical exams; and targeted abuse towards immigrant women leveraging the threat of deportation.
FCI Dublin was the center of a massive criminal investigation, Congressional inquiries, and national press attention. Eight former staff members at FCI Dublin–including the former Warden Ray Garcia and the former Chaplain–have been charged with sexually abusing people in their custody, with more charges likely forthcoming. Still, FCI Dublin has failed to remedy the systemic problems that created a culture of sexual violence and shielded the worst perpetrators from accountability.
We’ve filed a Motion for Preliminary Injunction, supported by over forty declarations, asking the court to order the BOP to:
end retaliation against people who report staff misconduct, including punitive placement in solitary confinement, transfers to other facilities, and cell and strip searches;
immediately remove staff who have substantiated claims of abuse against them;
ensure access to high-quality, community-based medical and mental healthcare for all people at FCI Dublin;
ensure access to counsel, including confidential legal calls and visits;
support survivors’ requests for release and visas for noncitizen victims of crime; and
allow an audit, regular inspections and reports, and ongoing monitoring by a third-party organization.