Inmates at a recently shuttered, scandal-plagued Bay Area women’s prison dubbed “the rapists’ club” have reached a historic settlement that will strengthen oversight and protections for about 500 inmates transferred out of prison. this facility to federal prisons across the United States.
In August 2023, eight inmates formerly housed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin filed a class-action lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons on behalf of people incarcerated at the facility, alleging they were victims of widespread sexual abuse, of medical negligence and retaliation by prison guards.
Today, the Bureau of Prisons agreed to enter a consent decree to protect the rights of nearly 500 group members who remain incarcerated in more than a dozen federal prisons.
The consent decree requires close monitoring of staff abuse and retaliation, medical care, application of early release credits and prompt release of inmates to halfway houses. It was submitted to court Friday morning and, if approved, its implementation will require judicial oversight over the next two years.
“This settlement is historic. This is the first time in the history of the BOP that surveillance will be applied by consent decree in more than a dozen federal women’s prisons across the country,” said Amaris Montes, an attorney representing members of the group , in a press release. “This reflects the reality experienced by the class members in this trial: the problems at FCI Dublin were not unique to this facility, and the BOP failed people in its custody across the country.”
Under the agreement, members of the group will no longer be placed in solitary confinement for low-level disciplinary charges and will be guaranteed timely disciplinary proceedings in an effort to prevent any retaliatory behavior by guards from prison. They will also have confidential means to report abuse and violations of the consent decree.
Additionally, the Bureau of Prisons will reinstate early release credits for FCI Dublin transfers and remove invalid disciplinary reports made by Dublin staff to ensure group members do not lose early release opportunities.
Colette Peters, director of the Bureau of Prisons, will also issue a formal apology to survivors of sexual abuse by staff at FCI Dublin, where more than half a dozen correctional officers and the former director have been accused or convicted guilty of sexual abuse of detainees.
In 2022, former prison chaplain James Theodore Highhouse was sentenced to seven years in prison for sexually assaulting a female inmate at FCI Dublin. Prosecutors said Highhouse engaged in predatory behavior with at least six women from 2014 to 2019.
Last year, former Dublin FCI Director Ray J. Garcia was sentenced to 70 months in prison for sexually abusing inmates and lying to the FBI to try to cover up bad behavior at the prison.
In March, a federal judge granted an injunction finding that those incarcerated at FCI Dublin faced an ongoing risk of abuse and appointed a special master to oversee the prison, the first such outside observer in history.
A few days later, Peters announced that the agency would close the facility. At the time, Peters said it was possible the closure was temporary.
Nearly 500 inmates were then transferred to other federal prisons across the country, where members of the group say inhumane conditions continue.
On Thursday, Peters announced that the closure of FCI Dublin would be permanent, citing insufficient staffing and huge costs to repair aging infrastructure.
In August, the special master appointee – former Alameda County Probation Officer Wendy Still – released a scathing report denouncing the inhumane conditions that persisted at FCI Dublin.
“It is unconscionable that a correctional agency could allow individuals incarcerated under its control and responsibility to be subjected to the conditions that existed at FCI Dublin for such a prolonged period without correction,” she wrote.
Still said these conditions were “probably an indication of system-wide problems” in federal women’s prisons across the country, including facilities to which former Dublin inmates have been transferred.
“Those currently and formerly incarcerated in Dublin fought long and hard for this victory,” Griselda Muniz, a plaintiff in the case, said in a statement on the settlement. “Now BOP must honor the agreement for those still in custody. Ultimately, we pray for their return home, as they deserve to heal from these traumatic events with their loved ones.
Lawyers for the class members were pleased with the consent decree, which was the product of months of negotiations between the Bureau of Prisons, current and former inmates, attorneys and attorneys. But they stressed the importance of ensuring its implementation.
“Without rigorous monitoring and enforcement, this agreement is just words on paper,” attorney Kara Janssen said in a statement. “Class counsel will closely monitor the BOP, travel to facilities, meet with class members, and hold the BOP accountable to ensure these changes reach our class members.”
