The troubled East Bay federal women’s prison FCI Dublin will shut down permanently following years of sexual abuse by prison workers, the federal government announced.
In a statement, the Bureau of Prisons said it faces significant challenges that prevent reopening the Dublin site, which was abruptly closed in April.
Those include a staffing shortage, crumbling infrastructure, and limited budgetary resources.
Eight former prison officers, including the former warden and chaplain, have been charged with sexual abuse, and the prison faces dozens of lawsuits from women who were formerly incarcerated there.
Those problems also led to scrutiny from Congress.
East Bay Rep. Mark DeSaulnier said in a statement that while he’s pleased the prison is being closed permanently, it still does not bring justice to women who suffered there.
Amaris Montes is director of West Coast litigation and advocacy at Rights Behind Bars, a group that’s representing women who were incarcerated at FCI Dublin in a class action lawsuit.
“This permanent closure is a great step towards recognizing that BOP is just unable to meet the constitutional rights of individuals who are incarcerated there,” Montes said.
Hundreds of incarcerated women were transferred from FCI Dublin to other facilities throughout the country after the April closure.
A trial in the class action lawsuit is set for June.
KQED’s Alex Hall and Ted Goldberg contributed to this report.
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