Former Inmates Sue California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Over Sexual Abuse by Correctional Officers

Former Inmates Sue California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for Sexual Abuse

In a shocking revelation, it has come to light that 130 former inmates at California’s women’s prisons in Chino and Chowchilla are suing the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, along with more than 30 current and ex-correctional officers, for alleged sexual abuse. These brave women are seeking unspecified damages for sexual assault, battery, negligence, infliction of emotional distress, and violations of civil rights.

The lawsuit, filed last month, claims that correctional officers at the California Institution for Women in Chino and Central California Women’s Facility engaged in widespread sexual abuse against the female detainees under their care. These officers allegedly targeted and isolated the inmates, forcing them to perform sexual acts. Disturbingly, the lawsuit also reveals that the women faced punishment and further abuse if they reported their assailants.

According to Doug Rochen, an attorney representing the women, these incidents of sexual abuse have been going on for decades, leaving the victims trapped in a facility filled with sexual predators. The lawsuit accuses one sergeant at the Chino prison of more than 40 rapes and incidents of sexual misconduct involving a female inmate in 2015. Another accused serial rapist correctional officer, Gregory Rodriguez, is charged with 96 counts of sex crimes involving nearly a dozen women at the Chowchilla prison.

Among the victims is a 27-year-old woman who alleges she was forced to perform oral sex acts on Rodriguez while she was pregnant. Another former inmate, Jane MS0 8 Roe, claims to have been victimized by multiple correctional officers, including one who penetrated her vagina. Shockingly, sexual abuse occurred in various areas throughout the prisons, including cells, closets, and storage rooms.

This lawsuit highlights the widespread problem of sexual abuse faced by incarcerated women in facilities nationwide. Government surveys suggest that more than 3,500 women are sexually abused by prison and jail workers annually. The lawsuit also alleges that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation had inadequate hiring practices, procedures, and training to prevent such abuse.

This is not the first lawsuit targeting sexual abuse in California’s female prisons. Last summer, another law firm filed litigation involving over 100 other plaintiffs, including victims of Rodriguez. State law allows victims of sexual assault by police and correctional officers up to 10 years after their assailants have been convicted to sue for damages.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has not yet responded to the allegations made in the lawsuit..