US Bureau of Prisons pays ‘historic’ $115m to survivors of staff sexual abuse
The US Bureau of Prisons (BoP) has agreed to pay $115m to more than 100 survivors of a major sexual abuse scandal, a historic settlement of litigation that exposed widespread misconduct of officers at a federal prison.
The payout settles 103 claims of sexual abuse and retaliation for reporting misconduct by people who were incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Dublin, a troubled women’s institution located in California. Staff harassment and assault of those in custody at FCI Dublin, east of Oakland, was pervasive and widely documented, and the facility was known internally as the “rape club”.
Victims who came forward to report the abuse have been fighting for years for protections and accountability. Seven former Dublin employees, including the warden who ran the prison and the chaplain, have been criminally convicted of sexual crimes, and more than 20 other employees were placed on leave and under investigation. The bureau announced the permanent closure of Dublin earlier this month, and former residents have been transferred to other federal prisons across the country.
