Four women who were prisoners at the Federal Correction Institute, Dublin (CA), which was ordered shuttered in April due to its infamous reputation as a “rape club”, gathered at an Oakland-area church to share stories of their abuse and how they are fighting for systemic change within the BOP by speaking out, Lisa Fernandez of San Francisco Fox Affiliate, KTVU reported.
One of the panelists — Windy Panzo — at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland on Saturday evening discussed what happened to her at the all-women’s prison, which closed after eight correctional officers – including the former warden and chaplain – were charged with sex crimes. Seven have been sentenced.
“I was raped by the chaplain,” Panzo stated, wiping away tears, disclosing for the first time that she was one of his victims.
Panzo was serving a sentence of 25 years on drug-related crimes. She said she sought solace and healing in the church at FCI because she was broken spiritually.
“I was so low and so rock bottom,” Panzo said. “And what I got was a pastor that groomed me and came at me. I didn’t think I could get any lower than I was. And then I met the chaplain. I was raped multiple times.”
In September 2022, that former chaplain, James Theodore Highhouse, was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of having sex with one woman. Prosecutors, however, say he sexually abused at least six women from 2014 to 2019.
At his sentencing hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Haywood S. Gilliam Jr. told Highhouse that he agreed that the women were raped.
“This was sustained predatory behavior against traumatized and defenseless women in prison,” the judge said.
One of the panelists was the first sexual assault survivor at FCI to be released on “compassionate release,” after her attorneys argued that she should be let go from prison early because of the harm she suffered being held at FCI Dublin. Aimee Chavira was allegedly assaulted by Darrell “Dirty Dick” Wayne Smith, who has pleaded not guilty. He awaits trial next spring. Chavira was also assaulted by other correctional officers who have been sentenced.
At the church gathering, attendees participated in a healing circle, followed by urging one another and the community to write letters to Congress, pushing for reforms in the Bureau of Prisons system. Panzo, who had previously testified over the phone before a U.S. Senate committee while incarcerated, was applauded for her bravery. Panzo spoke about the challenges of coming forward, despite being labeled a “snitch.”
Another panelist and former prisoner at FCI was Darlene Baker, who was a congressional whistleblower to Jackie Speier, who served as the U.S. representative for California’s 14th congressional district, serving in Congress from 2008 to 2023.
The fourth panelist, who was only identified as Loren, is one of the eight plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against the BOP. The litigation was the catalyst for the unprecedented appointment of a “special master” to oversee reforms at FCI Dublin. It was this appointment that led to the April 2024 closure of the only female-only prison west of the Mississippi. Colette Peters, the BOP Director, claimed that her efforts to enact reforms were not sufficient and the only choice was to close down the facility.
Several women who attended the church gathering were released in the immediate days after FCI Dublin was shuttered.
However, 600 others were transferred to prisons across the United States. As worse as their treatment at FCI Dublin allegedly was, many of these relocated inmates claim that their treatment is just as worse or even worse than it was at FCI Dublin.
Baker, who went to take pictures on Sunday outside the prison to get some closure, said that the situation for many of these transferred women has been “awful.”
However, Baker said many of the FCI Dublin transfers have become whistleblowers and mentors at their new prisons, standing up for themselves, teaching others to speak up and demanding that their constitutional rights be adhered to, and this advocacy is having far-reaching effects.
“So, in the big picture, it’s awesome,” Baker said, referring to the closure of FCI Dublin.
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