Senators demand accounting of rapid closure plan for California prison where women were abused

LOS ANGELES – Nearly all inmates were transferred out of a stricken women’s prison set to be close down in California, and U.S. senators on Wednesday demanded an accounting of the rapid closure plan for the ability where sexual abuse by way of guards was once rampant.

As of Tuesday solely “a small group” of women were nonetheless being held at FCI Dublin, with the bulk of its 605 inmates having been despatched this week to different federal amenities, mentioned Donald Murphy, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons, or BOP. The unspecified quantity who remained on the minimal safety prison close to Oakland were pending free up or switch to midway properties, he mentioned.

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee despatched a letter to the BOP expressing worry over claims of a chaotic switch procedure all through which inmates on buses and planes did not obtain right kind hospital treatment and were reportedly subjected to “mistreatment, harassment, neglect, and abuse while in transit.”

Susan Beaty, a attorney for inmates who blew the whistle at the prerequisites on the prison, mentioned there were experiences that all through delivery guards made abusive feedback to the women, “labeling them as snitches, referring to the closure of Dublin.” In addition, the inmates were shackled at their wrists and ankles for the whole thing of their lengthy trips, in spite of their minimum-security classification, and in some instances were denied water and journeys to the toilet, Beaty mentioned.

The BOP did not right away reply to the senators’ letter, however Murphy mentioned the bureau was once addressing the entire inmates’ wishes with “compassion and recognize” during the transfer process.

“The process involved careful planning and coordination to ensure the safe transfer of women to other facilities, with special attention given to their unique programming, medical, and mental health requirements,” he wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “We remain committed to helping each individual adjust to their new environment with the necessary care and support.”

A 2021 Associated Press investigation exposed a “rape club” culture at the prison where a pattern of abuse and mismanagement went back decades. The Bureau of Prisons repeatedly promised to improve the culture and environment — but the decision to shutter the facility represented an extraordinary acknowledgment that reform efforts failed.

Following the sudden announcement April 15 that FCI Dublin can be close down, U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ordered a case-by-case review of each and every inmate’s particular wishes ahead of the transfers started.

In response, the bureau filed court papers questioning the authority of the special master appointed by the judge on April 5 to oversee the prison, who was tasked with reviewing each woman’s status. Inmate advocates hoped the judge’s decision would slow the shutdown. But the bureau proceeded with the process anyway, saying in a court filing that “extensive resources and employee hours have already been invested in the move.”

Five Senate judiciary committee members on Wednesday asked Bureau of Prisons director Colette Peters to provide information on preparations to close the facility and guidance given “for the secure and humane free up from custody or switch of folks to different BOP amenities.”

“Individuals in custody at FCI Dublin have long endured a toxic carceral culture marked by sexual assault, harassment, and medical neglect at the hands of BOP staff. And now, while subjected to the deprivations and indignities of a flawed and rushed closure and transfer protocol, women in custody are reporting hostility and retaliation from BOP employees who blame them for the facility’s closure. This is unacceptable,” mentioned the letter signed by way of Democratic senators Cory Booker of New Jersey; Richard Durbin of Illinois; Jon Osoff of Georgia; and Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler of California.

Beaty mentioned some of her purchasers have reportedly been despatched to amenities in Texas, Florida, Minnesota and West Virginia.

“These are women who’d been able to see their kids and their parents and loved ones with some regularity. Now they’re distraught because they’ve been ripped apart,” Beaty mentioned.

Advocates had known as for maximum inmates to be freed — now not transferred — from FCI Dublin, which they mentioned was once now not solely plagued by way of sexual abuse but additionally has hazardous mold, asbestos and insufficient well being care. They additionally concern that some of the protection considerations may just persist at different women’s prisons.

Last August, 8 FCI Dublin inmates sued the Bureau of Prisons, alleging the company had didn’t root out sexual abuse on the facility. Their attorneys have mentioned the civil litigation will proceed.