Bay Area Prisoners Testify Against Abuse and Misuse of Power at Women’s Prison

Women incarcerated at FCI Dublin described feeling powerless to stop mistreatment and sexual abuse despite the government’s reports of reform at the prison.

The Federal Correctional Institution is shown in Dublin, Calif., on July 20, 2006. (AP Photo)

In a class action lawsuit, women prisoners in the Bay Area testified about abuse by federal employees at the FCI Dublin. They demanded that the government reform the prison and stop the “horrific abuse and exploitation.”

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers conducted an evidentiary hearing on the case, where 13 incarcerated individuals testified about the conditions they faced at FCI Dublin.

The plaintiffs sued in August 2023, claiming the Federal Bureau of Prisons enabled a pattern of “rampant” sexual abuse of incarcerated people at the low-security facility housing about 712 women and transgender and nonbinary individuals.

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Bureau Accused of Failing to Address Sexual Misconduct

Prisoners reported enduring horrific sexual abuse and exploitation by facility staff, including assault, coercion, voyeurism, drugging, and mistreatment during medical exams.

Many inmates were forced to strip for or perform sexual acts on prison staff, while others faced harassment and rape. The bureau allegedly ignored these issues for decades without taking action to prevent staffers’ sexual misconduct.

The evidentiary hearing scrutinized testimony from defense witness Beth Reese, chief of the bureau’s Office of Internal Affairs, who was questioned about the process of investigating abuse reports at FCI Dublin.

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