Bay Area Headlines

US DOJ agrees to settlement with Dublin prison sexual abuse victims

KALW | By Sunni Khalid

Published December 18, 2024 at 2:24 PM PST

The U.S. Department of Justice has agreed to pay out one-hundred-16 million dollars to settle dozens of sexual abuse lawsuits brought by people formerly incarcerated at the Dublin Federal Correctional Institute.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons formally acknowledged that abuse of female inmates occurred at the Dublin facility. As part of the settlement,103 formerly incarcerated individuals will receive more than a million dollars each.

Some other lawsuits have yet to be resolved.The Dublin prison, located about 21 miles east of Oakland, earned the infamous monicker as a “rape club,” by formerly incarcerated individuals and their families because of allegations of widespread sexual abuse.

A 2021 Associated Press investigation of the Dublin facility found a “pervasive culture of sexual misconduct and retaliation.”

The 600-person facility was temporarily closed seven months ago. Earlier this month, the Federal Bureau of Prisons permanently closed the prison.

Several prison staff members, including former warden Ray Garcia, were prosecuted for misconduct. Garcia was convicted in 2022 and sentenced to nearly six years in prison. Five others have pleaded guilty. One other criminal case is still pending.