The Federal Bureau of Prisons will shutter a California facility years after rampant sexual abuse of inmates was uncovered, leading some to dub the prison a "rape club," according to a report.
Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin is a low-security prison for women located in California's Bay Area. In 2022, an Associated Press investigation revealed that inmates were frequently subject to sexual abuse at the hands of corrections officers and faced threats and retaliation when they attempted to report the misconduct.
In the aftermath of the exposé, the Bureau of Prisons had "taken unprecedented steps and provided a tremendous amount of resources to address culture, recruitment and retention, aging infrastructure - and most critical - employee misconduct," agency director Colette Peters told the AP.
"Despite these steps and resources, we have determined that FCI Dublin is not meeting expected standards and that the best course of action is to close the facility," Peters said. "This decision is being made after ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of those unprecedented steps and additional resources."
Following the abuse revelations, at least eight FCI Dublin employees have been charged with sexual abuse - including the warden and the chaplain. Five individuals pleaded guilty, two were convicted during trials and one abuse case is still pending
During their investigations, the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California discovered "significant findings of wrongdoing by multiple correctional officers."
"The Department of Justice has repeatedly warned that criminal misconduct in the care and safety of incarcerated persons will not be tolerated," said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey, after two correction officers pled guilty to abusing inmates and then lying to federal investigators.
"Correctional officers have an obligation to ensure the safety of incarcerated persons and all Bureau of Prisons employees should view these latest two prosecutions as confirmation that the Department of Justice will do its part to ensure that those who stray from these obligations are held accountable."
In addition to the criminal actions taken by the federal government, several inmates also sued the Bureau of Prisons, alleging that they suffered under a culture of abuse and retaliation. The women claimed that when they reported misconduct they faced consequences including solitary confinement and the confiscation of possessions, the Associated Press reported.
