The Dublin prison has been under scrutiny by members of Congress who wrote a letter earlier this month to the Justice Departments Inspector General Michael Horowitz urging him to investigate the prison and retaliation against staff and inmates for filing complaints or helping in the investigation of complaints. The lawsuits were filed after Lowe was criminally charged in October with three counts escape, official misconduct and trafficking with an inmate, according to online court records. Former female inmates speak about widespread sexual abuse by prison Polite, Jr. of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. B.O.P. LIMESTONE CO., Ala. - The Alabama Department of Corrections confirmed two inmates serving time in the Limestone Correctional Facility have died in the past two days.Inmate Joshua Ledlow, 39 was discovered unresponsive in his cell on Thursday. Instead, this chaplain abused his authority and betrayed the public trust.. 'Rape Club': Former Inmate Alleges Correctional Officers Sexually Considers Early Release for Female Inmates Sexually Abused Behind Bars, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/13/us/politics/federal-prison-sexual-abuse.html. The former chaplain, James Theodore Highhouse, was sentenced toseven years in prison. For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. The allegations of widespread sexual abuse at Dublin have increased pressure on the bureau, which is responsible for about 160,000 inmates around the country. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, If you need further help setting your homepage, check your browsers Help menu, First Circuit: Surgery performed on inmate to locate alleged contraband a violation of the Fourth Amendment, Ala. police: Man gets ride home from jail, then kills 3 relatives and friend, Charges dropped against detainee after video showed beating by deputies inside Ga. jail, Inmate accused of slashing N.Y. corrections officer indicted, Open the tools menu in your browser. Highhouse, who was arrested in January and pleaded guilty in February, would tell women he abused at the Bay Area lockup, that everyone in the Bible had sex and that God wanted them to be together, prosecutors said. The Official Website for the New Jersey Department of Corrections In his letter, Mr. Wills encouraged Ms. Chavira to submit a new request upon receipt of a final adjudication of her allegations, without offering further explanation. By Aadil Ikram Zaki Iqbal. He said the agency needed to be more transparent about such incidents of staff misconduct and use specifics in its annual training. sexual abuse and sexual harassment toward inmates, either by staff, contractors, volunteers, or by inmates. Official websites use .gov Of those incidents, eight officers were charged and arrested . He . Members of Congress have urged more scrutiny and investigations into allegations of systemic sexual abuse of inmates. (D. Col.), Case No. The ordeal at the Clark County jail allegedly began early on Oct. 24, 2021, and continued over the course of several hours, during which the women were raped, assaulted, harassed, threatened and intimidated, according to the most recent lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court of Southern Indiana. Aimee Chavira, a federal prisoner currently incarcerated in Arizona, claimed she was repeatedly sexually abused by male staff at the Dublin womens prison, near Oakland. "One of the most basic tenets of correctional management is understanding and accepting the notion that inmates are incarcerated as punishment not for punishment. According to court documents, the warrant was issued with no bail. The AP also detailed steps that were taken to keep abuse secret, such as ignoring allegations, retaliating against whistleblowers and sending prisoners to solitary confinement or other prisons for reporting abuse. Chavez was the fifth employee at the Dublin prison to be charged with sexual abuse of inmates since June 2021. Staff sexual misconduct was underreported by inmates:Only about a quarter of incidents were reported by the victim and nearly 20% of the substantiated incidentswere uncovered during an investigation or monitoring. The chaplain, James Theodore Highhouse, 49, pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement in February in federal court to five felonies for sexually abusing a female inmate who came to him for spiritual guidance, and then lying to federal agents during the ensuing investigation. They seek damages but do not name a specific dollar amount. The former warden, Ray J. Garcia, was arraigned Wednesday on a superseding indictment charging him with abusing two additional inmates, for a total of seven counts involving three victims. "Speaking about my experience in such a public setting is incredibly hard. The Bureau of Prisons opened 5,415 cases alleging sexual abuse by federal employees from 2012 to 2022. Investigation Finds Rampant Sexual Assault of Inmates By Prison Staff The percentage is raised in juvenile delinquent centers to 20%. Ross Klinger, a recycling technician, pleaded guilty in February but has yet to be sentenced. 1:16-cv-00329-WJM-STV. Twenty-eight female prisoners at an Indiana jail claim in two federal lawsuits that they were subjected to a night of terror after they were attacked and sexually assaulted by male inmates who had allegedly bought a key to the womens wing from one of the jailers for $1,000. Power, control, revenge, seem to top the "reasons" for rape. He refused to confess to a supposed plot against the prison administration and three men subjected him to continuous violent sexual abuse, he says. The AP does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission. Lightning Hits Christ The Redeemer, One Of The Seven Wonders| See Viral Pics, Brazilian President Lula Sacks Army Chief In Aftermath Of Capital Uprising, Viral Video: Brazilian Youngsters Take Fun Quotient To A New 'Depth' | Watch, SHOCKING! "What I can tell you is that when you look at the institutions that you're highlighting -- and you see an institution that has been riveted with cases it's it's hard to explain -- it's hard to understand how systemic changes were not implemented.". Rivera is charged with six counts of sexual abuse by threats and 11 counts of sexual abuse of a ward. Both lawsuits allege violations of constitutional rights, negligence, inadequate training and procedures, and other problems. While on duty as a correctional officer, Rivera allegedly committed multiple sexual acts with one inmate through the use of threats and engaged in sexually abusive conduct with two additional inmates under his supervision. The departments leadership had promised they would reconsider the policy, so this was an important decision that sends a big signal, she added. This prosecution holds a prison guard accountable for flagrantly and repeatedly violating the law, and thereby failing to meet this responsibility.. The women said two inmates were the ringleaders and they disguised themselves so they could not be identified. Lerner-Kinglake noted that an overwhelming number of reports are still unsubstantiated, but that given the risks involved in making such a claim against correctional staff, "it just defies logic that only 5% of reports of staff sexual abuse are valid. The auditor saidshe found no evidence that the prison did retaliation monitoring on cases where the investigation was pending, even though monitoring should occur for at least 90 days after a report. Transgender prisoner who sexually assaulted inmates jailed for life The report found that half of inmate-on-inmate and staff-on-inmate sexual abuse occurred in areas that weren't under video surveillance. One of them said Highhouse leered at her when she got out of the shower and had a reputation as a predator.. Privately, officials familiar with the case, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, do not dispute her allegations. At least two women were raped. U.S. District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam Jr. said the guidelines, which call for a sentence of less than three years, seriously underestimate the seriousness" of Highhouse's conduct. External Reporting of Inmate Sexual Abuse/Sexual Harassment and Retaliation Through the Office of Corrections Ombudsman. Read more on Latest Viral News on India.com. He took my ability to sleep at night and he took my ability to trust in the Church, the inmate wrote in a victim impact statement. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. The former warden, Ray Garcia, wasconvicted in Decemberof molesting inmates and forcing them to pose naked in their cells. I hope that they will not have to go through what I went through. The enlisted advisers for the five Department of Defense branches called on Congress to help them advocate for military Col. Gregory Mayer, the commander of the 5th Mission Support Group, and Maj. Jonathan Welch, the commander of the 5th VA medical patients who have gone to a non-VA emergency room since 2010 can get their out-of-pocket coinsurance costs Russia has declared that a group of saboteurs from Ukraine crossed into its territory and attacked border villages, a raid Copyright 2023 Associated Press. Inmates have the right to be safe from sexually abusive behavior. The report comes as the federal prison system hasfaced scrutiny for repeated incidents of inmate sexual abuse by staff, including by a warden and chaplain at a high-profile Northern California prison. Darrin Klimek/Getty Images (WASHINGTON) The Federal Bureau of Prisons "has not been able to identify the prevalence and scope of inmate-on-staff sexual harassment," a new report released by the Justice Department's inspector general found, adding that the problem is "widespread" and affects female officers. I would never go back to Church. She said the officer, a captain at the prison, would take her to private areas of the facility to abuse her out of sight of surveillance cameras. The investigative panel, a part of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, is led by Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff, who has focused on prison abuse and misconduct. Thus far, only a handful of the women at Dublin have applied for compassionate release, but many others are waiting to see the outcome of the requests from Ms. Chavira and others before taking action. Attorneys for Highhouse did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Former worker at Calif. prison sentenced to 20 months for sexually The Clark County Sheriff's Office, which Noel heads, is doing the investigation because the Indiana Department of Correction "does not have oversight or investigative authority over county jails," IDOC spokeswoman Annie Goeller said in an email. Briane Moore, formerly incarcerated in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, testifies during the hearing of Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Investigations, on Sexual Abuse of Female Inmates in Federal Prisons, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 13, 2022. The Bureau of Prisons' Office of Internal Affairs has a case backlog of about 8,000, some of which have been pending for more than five years. The report of that audit was released Monday. It has become the most comprehensive and trusted online destination for correctional professionals nationwide. A committee analysis of court filings and prison records over the past decade found that male and female inmates had made 5,415 allegations of sexual abuse against prison employees, of which 586 were later substantiated by investigators. Transgender female inmate sues MDOC: I was forced to bunk with rapist Chavez pleaded guilty in October to one count of abusive sexual contact with a prisoner at the Federal Correctional Institute, Dublin in the San Francisco Bay Area. According to court documents, Mikael Rivera, 45, of Kapolei, Hawaii, was a correctional officer at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu from approximately 2014 to 2018. John Russell Bellhouse, 39, a prison safety administrator, is scheduled to be arraigned this month on charges he sexually abused an inmate he called his "girlfriend" from February to December 2020. An attorney for Garcia declined to comment. Gilliams seven-year sentence matched the recommendation of probation officers who conducted Highhouses pre-sentence investigation. He pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial in November. Former Army chaplain gets 7 years for sexually abusing prison inmates Little has been done by government or prison wards to stop rapists inside of prisons. "I knew he had the power to prevent me from being transferred to a prison closer to my family closer to my daughter," Moore said. The agency releases only a fraction of inmates eligible to be freed early under federal laws. 28 female inmates in Indiana jail claim they were sexually abused by James Theodore Highhouse, 49, a prison chaplain, has already signed a plea agreement . (Also read:SHOCKING! Widespread corruption, abuse among workers, critical staff shortages and the rampant spread of COVID-19 among prisoners. Advocates say that repurposing prisons with an emphasis on alternatives to incarceration can help drive reform. Last year, Warden Ray J. Garcia was charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting an inmate, sexually harassing another and keeping nude photos of an inmate on his . Justice Dept. Considers Early Release for Female Inmates Sexually Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY 12/17/2022. "People are waiting to see, (how)do we treat this person" as compared to the rank-and-file correctional officers. Earlier this year, an Associated Press investigation revealed years of sexual misconduct at FCI Dublin, including allegations against the prison's former warden. Another inmate told investigators that she avoided Highhouse after he made suggestive remarks during a counseling session, such as suggesting that the commissary sell sex toys. An audit was conducted ofthe prison from Sept. 21 through Sept. 23, 2021, before most of the allegations of sexual abuse were public. California prison guard accused of assaulting female inmates | The Struggles to Carry Out Early Release Program for Abused Inmates, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/22/us/politics/federal-prisons-inmate-abuse.html. "The system is flawed and broken.. custody and better hold accountable those who abuse positions of trust.. Those conditions violate the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the . In a criminal complaint filed against the prisons then-Warden Ray J. Garcia, 54, on Sept. 23 that accused him of sexual abuse of an inmate, a special agent for the FBI said in an affidavit that Garcia led Prison Rape Elimination Act training for staff in 2019 and 2020 and instructed inmates on how to report allegations.