The Horrors of FCI Dublin: A Look Inside a Chaotic Prison

By Shanna Rifkin

“It is unconscionable that any correctional agency could allow incarcerated individuals under their control and responsibility to be subject to the conditions that existed at FCI-Dublin for such an extended period of time without correction.”

This quote comes directly from a report written by a Special Master appointed by a federal judge in Northern California to oversee operations at FCI Dublin. The document paints a damning picture of life at FCI Dublin — a life that many incarcerated people had complained about for decades.

Now closed, FCI Dublin was a women’s prison in Northern California. Gruesome stories of sexual abuse of incarcerated women by corrections personnel surfaced in the media starting in 2022. To date, seven former employees at FCI Dublin have been convicted in federal court for sexually abusing women in their custody, one additional employee awaits trial, and an unknown number of others are under investigation.

Pro bono lawyers filed many lawsuits — some aimed at reducing the sentences of sexual abuse survivors, and others seeking money damages for alleged constitutional violations that occurred at Dublin. In March 2024, the court overseeing one case appointed a Special Master (an independent review person) to evaluate, oversee, and report on operations at FCI Dublin. This was the first time in BOP history that a special master had been imposed on a federal prison. Shortly thereafter, on April 15, 2024, the BOP abruptly announced it was closing FCI Dublin and transferring its 605 incarcerated women to other facilities across the country. The closure and transfer were nothing short of chaotic.

But much of what transpired at the prison leading up to the closure, and how hundreds of women were removed after the closure, was unknown, because the court documents were sealed from the public — until now.

In the now public report, the Special Master examined and reported findings on a number of topics, including staffing, health care, compassionate release, programming, and implementation of obligations required by the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). Across the board, FCI Dublin failed miserably. The prison ignored the BOP’s rules and internal program statements. For example, the BOP has guidelines to ensure incarcerated people receive preventative healthcare services. The Special Master found that FCI Dublin’s health care providers did not follow BOP protocols, delayed diagnoses, and failed to timely deliver medical treatment. These failures resulted in “demonstrable harm to patients” and put the “health and safety of [adults in custody] and staff at risk.”

It is an open secret that rehabilitative programming in the BOP is a problem. The Special Master was provided with a table of programs allegedly offered at FCI Dublin. She found, however, that many of the programs that the BOP said were offered had not been available to people in custody for years. Further, waitlists were extensive, staff were as confused as residents about which programs were and were not offered, and the programming that did exist was rarely as described.

Among the most alarming findings in the report were related to mental health treatment. When the Special Master visited FCI Dublin, two women in custody were on suicide watch. Because there was no space in the housing area where suicide watch could be performed safely and humanely, the women were placed in five-point restraints while other incarcerated women performed the watch. According to the report, “[h]aving other inmates perform clinical functions is against every acceptable standard” in national corrections guidelines.

Staffing shortages worsened the gravity of every deficit identified in the report. Staff whose job it was to provide programming were often “augmented” (redirected to roles outside their role) which in turn limited or eliminated programming. Staffing shortages also may have contributed to more sexual assaults, as inexperienced staff were transferred to housing units to cover for gaps in staffing. Of particular interest, 27 Dublin staff members on administrative leave were still receiving full compensation for their job. At least one person was placed on administrative leave as a result of a investigation into sexual abuse.

The issues discussed in the special master’s report are deeply disturbing — but they are not unique to Dublin. The BOP writ large has problems with programming, staffing, health care, and protecting people in custody. But since this is the first time in BOP history that a special master was appointed, it is the first time we get to peek behind the curtain and gain granular insight into federal prison operations. Documenting what is wrong is a necessary first step to fixing what is wrong.

Thankfully, the deep examination and report produced by the special master at Dublin is likely to be replicated in some form in federal prisons across the country because true independent oversight of our federal prisons is now a reality — thanks to Congress and President Biden. And as part of that independent oversight, all federal prisons will now be subjected to routine investigations and reporting.

Although the news out of FCI Dublin is grim, it is our hope that the more light that continues to shine on what actually happens in our federal prisons, the safer and more humane they will become.

Want to help us ensure oversight is implemented? Consider signing up to give a monthly gift to our Oversight Fund — for $10 a month, we can work together to make sure these atrocities never happen again under our watch.

Shanna Rifkin is FAMM’s Deputy General Counsel.