US Government to Close Women's Prison After Years of Abuse

The Federal Bureau of Prisons said Monday it will permanently close a California women's prison plagued by sexual abuse, degradation and mismanagement, and will suspend operations at six facilities.

The agency has informed employees and Congress that it plans to close the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, and close minimum-security prisons in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida.

In a document obtained by The Associated Press (AP), the Federal Bureau of Prisons said it was taking "decisive and strategic action" to address "significant challenges, including critical staffing shortages, crumbling infrastructure and limited financial resources."

Staff and inmates are being transferred to other facilities, and the agency said it will not reduce staff and is committed to finding jobs for all those affected.

The permanent closure of the complex, seven months after it was temporarily shut down following abuses between staff and inmates, is the clearest sign yet that the agency, which has more than 30,000 employees, 158,000 inmates and an annual budget of about $8 billion, is unable or unwilling to rehabilitate its most troubled institutions.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons and the union representing prison workers have repeatedly stressed the need for additional funding for federal prisons, citing what they say is an inadequate amount to cover wage increases, staff retention and delayed infrastructure repairs.

In a document summarizing the closures, the agency said it decided to close the California prison after a safety and infrastructure review following its temporary closure in April.

In April, it appeared the agency was determined to close the low-security prison, but officials have raised concerns that it could be repaired and reopened for a different purpose, such as housing male inmates.

The assessment found that significant repairs were needed to reopen the facility, the agency said. Staffing shortages, exacerbated by the high cost of living in the region, also contributed to the decision to close the facility.

The permanent closure of the prison complex represents an extraordinary admission by the U.S. agency that it failed to fix the culture and environment at the facility in the wake of an AP report that exposed multiple sexual abuse crimes.

Hundreds of people who were incarcerated at the Dublin, Calif., prison are suing the agency, seeking reforms and monetary compensation for the mistreatment they suffered at the facility.

The closure comes amid an AP investigation that has uncovered failures including criminal activity by staff, dozens of escapes, chronic violence, deaths and a severe staffing shortage that has made it difficult to respond to emergencies, including inmate assaults and suicides.

In July, President Joe Biden signed legislation strengthening oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons after AP reporting exposed its many failings.