A federal judge has prolonged the oversight of the special master at the now-closed FCI Dublin women’s prison, citing a “shocking” error rate in nearly half of the Bureau of Prisons’ disciplinary actions against incarcerated women. On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers issued an order requiring Special Master Wendy Still to maintain supervision of the facility until at least December 31, despite no women being held there since May 1, Lisa Fernandez of Seattle FOX affiliate KTVU reported.
The audit revealed “ongoing constitutional violations” related to FCI Dublin’s disciplinary records, with 373 of the 824 infractions attributed to the incarcerated women being “expunged for due process or other deficiencies,” the judge noted. In other words, 45% of the reviewed disciplinary actions were dismissed due to errors by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Judge Gonzalez Rogers described this error rate as “shocking” and emphasized that it has a ripple effect on the women’s freedom.
The BOP Western Regional Hearing Administrator identified over 100 instances where women should have been released earlier but were wrongfully held due to inaccurate disciplinary calculations, according to the judge. While some improvements were noted in other areas, the judge highlighted ongoing concerns. As of late September, only six medical alerts and nine mental health alerts remained unresolved, down from nearly 200 cases in August—though attorneys for the women question the accuracy of these clearances.
Following the closure of FCI Dublin, the roughly 600 women incarcerated there were transferred to prisons across the country. However, many continue to express dissatisfaction with their treatment at the new facilities, as evidenced by letters sent to KTVU.
Attorney Kara Janssen, who is representing the women in a class-action lawsuit against the BOP, said in an interview Monday that she and her colleagues are actively working to address the injustices by visiting various prisons. Some of the women report that, despite their medical alerts being cleared, they still haven’t received medical care, or they face retaliation for raising concerns, including communicating with their attorneys.
Janssen and fellow attorney Susan Beaty are visiting FCI Waseca in Minnesota this week, with plans to visit FCI Aliceville in Alabama at the end of the month. Beaty has already made a trip to SeaTac in Seattle. “A lot of women are feeling demoralized because they haven’t seen us,” Janssen said. “But the special master is receiving your messages, and we’re still here.”
The attorneys are visiting FCI Waseca, where drug issues are prevalent—a fact confirmed by the BOP. Janssen pointed out that where drug use is common, sexual abuse often follows. Incarcerated women at FCI Waseca have reported long lockdowns due to drug-related problems.
FCI Dublin was closed in the aftermath of a sex abuse scandal involving correctional officers. In response to the criminal trials of seven officers and a civil lawsuit against the BOP, the agency argued that despite efforts to improve the culture at FCI Dublin, they ultimately had no choice but to shut down the prison.
Leave a Reply