Mark DeSaulnier
09/25/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/25/2024 13:14
Congressman DeSaulnier Submits Testimony to United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on FCI Dublin and Efforts to Eliminate Sexual Assault in Federal Prisons
Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10) submitted testimony to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism for its hearing entitled "Sexual Assault in U.S. Prisons Two Decades After the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)" to highlight the history of sexual abuse at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Dublin as evidence that additional reforms are needed to protect inmates. This hearing comes after Congressman DeSaulnier, along with Senator Laphonza Butler (D-CA) and Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee Dick Durbin (D-IL), sent a letterto the Bureau of Prisons demanding answers about the botched closure of FCI Dublin, mistreatment of inmates while they were being transferred to other facilities, and BOP's mismanagement of investigations into the staff-on-inmate abuse at FCI Dublin and other federal BOP facilities.
In his testimony, Congressman DeSaulnier wrote, "Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Dublin, which until April was one of a small number of women-only federal correctional institutions in the United States, demonstrates the many shortcomings of PREA. For years, incarcerated women at FCI Dublin reported staff sexual misconduct to prison officials and independent agencies alike, but abuse continued unabated. In 2022, an Associated Press investigation found a permissive culture of toxic sexual misconduct and cover-ups at FCI Dublin…Dublin is now the subject of pending class action litigation, and over 100 individual survivors of staff sexual assault have filed damages claims."
He continued, "In June of this year, I, along with Senator Laphonza Butler, Chair Dick Durbin, and 18 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate sent a letter to BOP requesting information on the closure of FCI Dublin. Our goal was, among other things, to determine whether BOP's decision to abruptly close the facility was an attempt to evade accountability and transparency, whether the agency had adequately planned the closure in a way that respected the rights of the many abuse victims at Dublin, whether the facility had complied with court orders, and if BOP has taken steps to ensure that cultures of abuse are not permitted to develop at other facilities. It has been over 100 days since we sent that letter, and the Bureau has yet to provide a response. I am troubled by BOP's apparent disregard for its obligations to both Congress and the federal courts, and I am deeply concerned that the agency has handled neither the abuses at FCI Dublin nor the mandates of PREA with the seriousness they deserve.
If PREA is going to fulfill its mission of eliminating prison rape, inmates must be given truly independent reporting avenues and strong protections against retaliation. Additionally, the federal government must guarantee that facilities are fulfilling their legal obligations under PREA, with significant material consequences for those that are not."
Congressman DeSaulnier concluded, "I look forward to continued collaboration between both chambers of Congress on strengthening PREA and protecting the civil rights of incarcerated individuals so that they can focus on rehabilitation and successful reentry."FCI Dublin is located in the district that Congressman DeSaulnier represents. In addition to his letter to BOP, Congressman DeSaulnier has acted on behalf of those who have experienced and witnessed abuse at the facility by meeting with attorneys representing inmates at the facility and hearing from whistleblowers, visiting the facility to see the conditions firsthand, and sending a letterurging FCI Dublin to immediately fulfill its constitutional obligation to provide meaningful access to legal counsel and provide essential healthcare services to inmates who suffer from serious sexual abuse. Congressman DeSaulnier also sent a letterto Attorney General Garland regarding the closure of FCI Dublin and Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) implementation at the facility, and sent a letterto the House Judiciary and Oversight and Accountability Committees asking them to investigate and hold hearings on the recent closure and transfer of inmates from FCI Dublin, the facility's past pervasive culture of abuse, and BOP facilities and their treatment of inmates more broadly as such action is essential to answer outstanding questions and provide much-needed oversight of BOP.