CA Legislative Women’s Caucus Leaders Welcome U.S. Dept. of Justice Investigation into Sex Abuse at CA Women’s Prisons

SACRAMENTO - California Legislative Women's Caucus Chair Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) and Vice Chair Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) issued the following statement regarding the announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice that it is launching a civil rights investigation into sexual abuse of incarcerated individuals by staff at California women's prisons.

"No person, no matter what they did to be sentenced to prison, should be forced to endure the crime of rape or sexual assault by prison staff. That's why the LWC, over the past year, has shined a spotlight on sexual misconduct by prison staff in California's women prisons. It's also why it is appropriate that the US DOJ has initiated this civil rights investigation into sexual abuse at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino."

One year ago, the LWC hosted a legislative briefing on sexual assault and harassment in California women's prisons. The briefing, which included top officials from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), followed revelations that a single prison guard, Gregory Rodriguez, at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla had raped or sexually assaulted at least 22 women over many years. That guard is now facing 96 felony charges.

In addition, more than 120 women have sued CDCR alleging widespread sexual assault and harassment by prison staff at Chowchilla and Chino. In January of this year, members of the LWC toured Chowchilla to view the conditions and talk to incarcerated individuals.

The LWC has also partnered with Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, an Oakland-based nonprofit with over 5,000 formerly and currently incarcerated and systems-impacted members, and other survivor groups and advocates, to raise awareness about and address the pervasive problem of staff sexual misconduct in state carceral facilities. It was this group's report back to the Legislature on the systemic issue of sexual assault in California's women's prisons that was cited by the US Justice Department as one of the reasons for launching this investigation.

"Over the past year, we have met with far too many incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people who have shared horrific stories of sexual misconduct by staff in our state prisons. We hope that this DOJ investigation will not only put an end to this unconscionable abuse, but also ensure that California meets its constitutional duty to safeguard the civil rights of all incarcerated people."

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