Inside FCI Dublin

A History of Abuse

FCI Dublin is a federal women’s prison located 30 miles south of Oakland in Dublin, California. About 800 people (women, trans and nonbinary people) are incarcerated there.

In 1995, three women incarcerated at FCI Dublin were sexually assaulted after guards let incarcerated men into their cells to rape them. These women filed a civil rights lawsuit against the prison, and won a large settlement in 1998.

Over the past several years, people incarcerated at FCI Dublin started speaking out about ongoing sexual, physical, and psychological abuse by prison staff.

FCI Dublin became the center of a massive criminal investigation, Congressional inquiries, and national press. Eight Dublin officials were charged with sexually abusing people in their custody, including the Warden and the Chaplain.

Advocates have now spoken with over 140 people who were abused by at least 20 different FCI Dublin employees in the last several years.

Survivors’ stories make clear that staff specifically targeted noncitizens for abuse. Several women who were sexually assaulted by Dublin staff have already been deported and many others are currently facing deportation.

In addition to egregious acts of abuse, people at FCI Dublin also face:

  • Retaliation by staff for reporting misconduct, including solitary confinement, strip and cell searches, and physical assault.

  • No way to safely and confidentially report staff misconduct.

  • Huge barriers to accessing outside advocates and legal counsel.

  • No adequate mental and medical healthcare.

Hear from Survivors…

  • “We are all traumatized from what happened to us at FCI Dublin. Being in detention is only making it worse. We aren’t getting any mental healthcare, and we are separated from our kids and loved ones. We don’t deserve this double punishment. We deserve to be home with our families, and we deserve a chance to heal from what these men did to us.” - A.

  • “An ICE officer came to see me a few weeks ago to tell me that they were going to put an immigration hold on me. I told him: I was raped by a federal prison guard, and he was convicted of raping me. The ICE officer told me: ‘That doesn’t matter.’” - C.

  • “I was abused by my partner before prison, I was abused by the staff at Dublin, and now I’m being abused by the system. I helped the government win their case, but the government is trying to deport me. I just want to be able to stay here, in my home with my children.” - L.

  • “I was sentenced to prison. I wasn’t sentenced to be assaulted and harassed. I wasn’t sentenced to be tortured. It’s their job to take care of us while we are in here. But we aren’t safe here.” - F.

  • “These guards abused us because we were immigrants. They told us they could do whatever they wanted, because we were going to be deported. They called us racist names, and they yelled at us to ‘go back’ to our countries. They knew what they were doing, and ICE is helping them get away with it.” - T.

  • “The men who did this should not be in positions of power. They should not have power over vulnerable women at FCI Dublin or anywhere else.” - D.

  • “I personally know four women who were sexually assaulted by guards at FCI Dublin and were deported. I was abused by a guard, and now I’m facing deportation. I do not want to be next.” - S.

  • “The medical care here in nonexistent. We need to speak to actual doctors and therapists so we can process what happened to us.” - M.

  • “After I was deported, the officer who abused me followed me to Mexico. He abused me sexually, physically, and psychologically for two years before I was finally able to escape him.” - R.

  • “I was assaulted by a technician in medical. I’ve got serious health problems but I can’t bring myself to go to medical to get care because I don’t want to relive what I went through.” - A.

  • “There’s a lot more people who were abused who haven’t come forward because they’re scared. If you come forward, you’re punished even more, you’re sent to the SHU. The system is so unjust.” - P.

Watch FCI Dublin Survivor Rolanda Ashley Testify before the United Nations

In this speech to the United Nations, Dublin Survivor Rolanda Ashley recounts the horrors of sexual abuse she endured while incarcerated in a federal prison. As she chronicles her journey for justice, she calls on all individuals to stand up and demand accountability and change.