Justice Department Report Details Ongoing Sexual Abuse by Staff in California Prisons

A federal investigation spanning nearly two years has concluded that California prison officials have repeatedly failed to shield incarcerated women from sexual abuse and harassment at the hands of prison staff, according to a newly released report from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The probe centered on two facilities: the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino. Federal investigators launched the inquiry after hundreds of women incarcerated at the two prisons filed legal claims alleging exploitation by employees, and after a former correctional officer was arrested on charges of sexually abusing at least 22 women.

As part of the investigation, the Justice Department examined 350 separate allegations of sexual misconduct, conducted interviews with prisoners, and reviewed footage from body-worn cameras.

The findings, released Thursday, describe what investigators called an “unbroken pattern” of sexual assault by staff stretching back more than two decades at both institutions. According to the report, prison leadership was aware that women faced a real and ongoing risk of abuse yet consistently failed to take adequate steps to prevent it.

Investigators identified a range of systemic failures — missing camera coverage in key areas, the absence of truly confidential channels for reporting abuse, poorly conducted investigations, and a lack of meaningful consequences for offending staff. The Justice Department characterized these shortcomings as “deliberate indifference,” concluding they amounted to violations of incarcerated women’s constitutional rights.

“None of this should be surprising to CDCR, none of it should be surprising to the Legislature,” said Amika Mota, executive director of the Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, a prisoner advocacy organization. She noted that survivors have repeatedly raised these concerns publicly — at legislative hearings, community forums and in prior reports — in hopes of prompting reform.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation maintains it enforces a zero-tolerance policy toward staff sexual misconduct and points to recent efforts to broaden reporting mechanisms and camera surveillance. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Young said those changes have not addressed the deeper, structural issues driving the abuse.

“Women were not being protected,” Young told KQED. “It was the cycle that’s continuing to happen.”

At the Chowchilla facility, federal investigators documented surveillance gaps around the plant operations area and in prison kitchens. Incarcerated women told investigators that certain kitchen storage spaces lacking cameras were referred to as “sugar rooms” — named both for the sugar kept there and because the absence of surveillance made them a site where sexual activity could go undetected. Investigators also cited abandoned buildings where abuse reportedly took place.

“Things like that were extremely concerning,” Young said.

The report further found that correctional officers often failed to properly use their body cameras, at times switching them off in violation of department policy. Notably, only correctional officers are required to wear the devices, even though confirmed abuse cases have involved other prison employees, including a cook, a mental health counselor and staff overseeing work programs.

Among the cases detailed in the report is that of former correctional officer Gregory Rodriguez, accused of abusing dozens of women at the Chowchilla facility over roughly a decade. The state corrections department substantiated claims that he engaged in sexual acts with 21 incarcerated women, while federal investigators identified more than 65 alleged victims linked to him. Some women said the assaults occurred in a parole hearing room that had no camera coverage. Rodriguez was charged in 2023 by the Madera County District Attorney’s Office with 97 criminal counts tied to 13 victims, and was convicted last year on 64 counts. He is now serving a 224-year prison sentence.

At the California Institution for Women in Chino, the report cites cases going back more than 10 years, including instances where correctional officers were criminally convicted or disciplined for sexually abusing incarcerated women.

Mota said she believes the hundreds of allegations reviewed by federal investigators represent only a fraction of the actual abuse. While more survivors have come forward in recent years, she said many women still avoid reporting incidents out of fear of retaliation — a concern the federal report validates.

Investigators found that the internal system meant to let incarcerated women report abuse confidentially was, in practice, not secure. Written grievances, known as 602 forms, are digitized and stored in a system accessible to prison staff. In one instance, the corrections department discovered that an officer had improperly accessed the files of 11 incarcerated women — nine of whom had accused him of sexual misconduct.

Some women reported facing disciplinary write-ups, cell searches, confiscation of belongings and loss of privileges after coming forward with complaints. Several said they waited to report abuse until after their release, a transfer to another facility, or securing legal representation.

The federal report also addressed a mass use-of-force incident at the Chowchilla prison in August 2024, concluding it was retaliatory in nature, tied to women’s reports of staff sexual abuse. Young said investigators devoted substantial time to interviewing those involved and reviewing records connected to the incident, which left victims with injuries ranging from seizures to blindness. The state reached a $1.9 million settlement in April with 13 women harmed in that incident, and its internal investigation resulted in terminations, retraining, and other corrective measures after finding that 41 employees had violated department policy.

Federal investigators also uncovered cases where potential DNA evidence went untested, accused staff and witnesses were never interviewed, and probes dragged on for months or years without resolution. In at least one instance, delays were so extensive that the department missed its own one-year deadline to discipline the officer involved. Separately, the state’s Office of the Inspector General found that 86% of disciplinary and criminal investigations reviewed during the first half of 2025 were rated either “inadequate” or in need of improvement.

Young said that even in cases where women’s allegations appeared credible, investigations sometimes stalled for more than a year and, in some instances, concluded without substantiating the claims — even when portions of the women’s accounts had been independently corroborated.

In a written statement, the corrections department said it takes “every allegation seriously” and remains “dedicated to ensuring accountability, strengthening protections, and maintaining institutions that ensure the personal safety of all individuals.” The agency also pointed to audits conducted under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, noting that both facilities met all 45 standards evaluated.

As part of its findings, the Justice Department is now requiring California to expand camera coverage, broaden the use of body cameras among staff, create confidential reporting channels independent of the department, and improve both the quality of investigations and protections against retaliation.

“The state must confront the persistent failure of its own employees to prevent and address sexual abuse at these facilities and the systemic breakdowns that have permitted these conditions to persist,” said Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California. “This report should serve as a turning point.”

The corrections department said it looks forward to working with the Justice Department “regarding their recommendations.”

Federal officials also called for disciplinary consequences — including possible termination — for employees who improperly access or share grievance information, along with real accountability for staff found to have retaliated against those who report abuse. The Justice Department noted that the U.S. attorney general retains the authority to sue the state within 49 days if it fails to act on the findings.

Antoinette Yancey, who is currently incarcerated at the Central California Women’s Facility, said she hopes the federal report will finally lead to genuine accountability.

“Some of us are in here for far less than what has been done to us, doing life sentences and decades’ worth of time, while we’re also being preyed upon,” Yancey said. “And it’s just not fair.”

Original source: CalMatters