The Justice Department says it found serious problems inside California women's prisons over failures to protect inmates from sexual abuse at the hands of staff.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the prisons , namely California Institution for Women in Chino, Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, are not doing enough to protect female inmates from sexual abuse.
“Our investigators uncovered a long pattern of sustained staff sexual misconduct and insufficient accountability measures,” he said during a press conference on Thursday.
Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, shared that several cases have resulted in convictions.
“In May of 2024, CDCR sustained multiple sexual misconduct allegations against a CIW sergeant for providing contraband in exchange for sexual favors from prisoners,” she said. “He was caught on camera caressing a prisoner's breasts and turning off his body camera. California's prison system, when it comes to women, has inadequate systems in place to deter, detect, and hold accountable sexual misconduct and assault on female prisoners.”
KNX News has reached out to the state prison system for comment.
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