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Photo credit: Jesstess87 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90796483
The Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) Dublin, once a low-security facility for female inmates, became notorious for rampant sexual abuse, neglect, and misconduct by prison officials. Over the years, survivors, advocates, and legal professionals fought to expose the corruption and systemic failures that allowed this abuse to persist. In April 2024, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) announced that FCI Dublin would close, a move that many saw as long overdue. However, the closure does not erase the trauma suffered by the incarcerated women who endured years of sexual abuse and other forms of mistreatment.
Sexual abuse at FCI Dublin became so rampant that incarcerated women and even some staff began referring to it as “the Rape Club,” a grim nickname that underscored the prison’s culture of exploitation and impunity. Reports of sexual abuse began surfacing publicly in 2021 when Warden Ray Garcia was charged with sexually assaulting an incarcerated woman and keeping nude photos of victims on his work computer. However, survivors later revealed that the abuse had been occurring for decades.
The following timeline, provided by San Francisco Fox affiliate KTVU, which has been reporting on sexual abuse at FCI Dublin for over three years, highlights the key events leading to FCI Dublin’s shutdown and the broader implications for civil rights within the prison system.
1974–2012: The Origins of FCI Dublin
FCI Dublin was established in 1974 as a federal prison and later converted into an all-female facility in 2012. Housing around 700 women, the prison showed early warning signs of misconduct. Yet, little was done to address systemic issues until decades later.
1996–1998: Early Lawsuits and Failed Reforms
Three women sued FCI Dublin in 1996, alleging sexual abuse by prison staff. A settlement was reached in 1998, awarding the women $500,000. However, the agreement was made in “good faith,” and no substantial reforms were implemented, allowing abuse to continue unchecked for years.
2021–2023: Federal Indictments and Convictions of Prison Staff
By 2021, multiple officials at FCI Dublin faced criminal charges for sexual misconduct:
- June 2021: Ross Klinger, a recycling technician, was the first correctional officer charged with sexually abusing inmates. He pleaded guilty and received one year of home confinement in January 2024 after assisting in the conviction of former Warden Ray Garcia.
- September 2021: Warden Ray Garcia was charged with sexually assaulting a woman, sexually harassing another, and possessing naked images of an incarcerated woman. A jury convicted him in December 2022, and he was sentenced to nearly six years in May 2023.
- November 2021: Safety administrator John Russell Bellhouse was charged with sexually abusing multiple incarcerated women in 2020. He was convicted in June 2023 and sentenced to five years in December 2023.
- January 2022: Prison chaplain James Theodore Highhouse was convicted of sexual misconduct with multiple inmates. He received a seven-year sentence in September 2022.
- March 2022: Former prison cook Enrique Garcia pleaded guilty to sexual abuse charges and was sentenced to nearly two years in February 2023.
- May 2023: Darryl “Dirty Dick” Smith was arrested on 12 counts of sexual abuse and aggravated sexual contact. Additional charges followed in July 2024. His case is pending trial.
- June 2023: Correctional officers Nakie Nunley and Andrew Jones pleaded guilty to sex abuse charges. Jones was sentenced to eight years in November 2023, while Nunley received a six-year sentence in March 2024.
August 2023: Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against BOP
The California Coalition of Women Prisoners filed a class-action lawsuit against the BOP. The suit alleged years of abuse, retaliation, and inhumane conditions at FCI Dublin. This legal battle became a turning point, forcing the federal government to acknowledge systemic failures within the facility.
March–April 2024: FBI Raids and the Prison’s Closure
The FBI raided FCI Dublin in March 2024, removing corrupt leadership, including the warden and senior managers. A federal judge then ordered an unprecedented “special master” to oversee the prison. Just weeks later, in April 2024, the BOP announced the closure of FCI Dublin. Approximately 600 women were transferred to 13 different facilities across the U.S.
December 2024–February 2025: Settlements and the Aftermath
- December 2024: The BOP tentatively approved a consent decree to provide limited reforms for survivors of FCI Dublin’s abuse.
- December 2024: The federal government agreed to pay $116 million to more than 100 survivors, one of the largest settlements in prison sexual abuse cases.
- January 2025: BOP Director Colette Peters left office as Donald Trump assumed the presidency.
- February 2025: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials considered converting the closed prison into an immigrant detention center, sparking controversy over continued human rights concerns. Also, the Associated Press reported that on Feb. 25, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers gave final approval to the consent decree, officially subjecting the BOP to independent monitoring and increased transparency in response to the widespread sexual abuse at FCI Dublin. The decree will take effect on March 31, 2025, and will remain in place for at least two years. The judge also rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to alter the decree by removing protections for transgender and non-citizen inmates, stating that negotiated settlements cannot be altered after approval.
The Bigger Picture: Civil Rights Behind Bars
FCI Dublin’s closure is a step toward accountability, but the fight for justice continues. Survivors and advocacy groups argue that no person, regardless of their criminal record, should endure sexual violence and mistreatment while in federal custody.
While FCI Dublin’s closure marks the end of a notorious chapter, it serves as a stark reminder that systemic abuse within correctional institutions is not an isolated issue at the Oakland-area federal prison. In fact, FCI Dublin sexual abuse survivors who were transferred to other prisons face retaliatory abuse from their current jailors. Efforts to hold prison officials accountable must persist, and survivors must continue to have access to legal support, resources, and pathways to justice.
The mistreatment at FCI Dublin illustrates how vulnerable incarcerated individuals are to abuse when oversight is weak and accountability is lacking. As legal battles and policy discussions continue, the voices of survivors remain crucial in ensuring that what happened at FCI Dublin is never repeated elsewhere.
