Former inmates file lawsuits over alleged sexual abuse at CA prisons; DOJ investigates

CHINO, Calif. (KABC) -- The Justice Department is investigating sexual abuse allegations at two state-run California prisons after hundreds of lawsuits were filed by women and former inmates.

The DOJ is investigating allegations that correctional officers sexually abused incarcerated women at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino. The formal inquiry was sparked by hundreds of private lawsuits filed by women over the past two years alleging that incarcerated women were subject to sexual abuse, ranging from misconduct to rape.

"No woman incarcerated in a jail or prison should be subjected to sexual abuse by prison staff who are constitutionally bound to protect them," said Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the justice department's Civil Rights division. "Every woman, including those in prison, retains basic civil and constitutional rights and should be treated with dignity and respect."

According to a press release, one lawsuit alleges that from 2014 to 2020, officers at the Chino facility groped and forcibly raped the women, forced them to participate in oral copulation and threatened them with violence. The lawsuit was filed against the State of California, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as well as several prison staff members.

Correctional facility staff members at both prisons were accused of seeking sexual favors in exchange for contraband and privileges, according to the Justice Department.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said it does not tolerate sexual abuse in its prisons and is cooperating with the investigation.