DUBLIN, CA — The federal Bureau of Prisons informed Congress that it will permanently close FCI Dublin and deactivate six other minimum-security prison camps across the country, according to The Associated Press.
The BOP said in a document obtained by the AP that it is taking “decisive and strategic action” to address “significant challenges, including a critical staffing shortage, crumbling infrastructure and limited budgetary resources.” The BOP also said that it will find positions for all affected employees.
In April, the troubled prison closed temporarily following numerous staff convictions of sexual abuse, an FBI raid and the appointment of a special master to oversee operations. The abrupt closure was fraught with issues, as staff tried to move 600 inmates to different locations around the country. Inmates were sent on long flights or bus rides, often without necessary food, sanitation, or medicine, to uncertain destinations, according to a report from the Bay Area News Group.
In a statement obtained by the Bay Area News Group, the Department of Justice wrote that an audit of the facility demonstrated the need for “considerable repairs,” and the inability to maintain necessary staffing due to the area’s high cost of living.
The prison came under significant scrutiny in February 2022, when the Associated Press ran a detailed exposé of a prison rife with sexual abuse that was known as the “rape club.” According to the article, numerous guards and administrators sexually abused multiple inmates, and threatened retaliation if inmates told or did not comply.
Since the article, the Bureau of Prisons pledged to change the prison, and lengthy investigations began. Eight former employees, including the warden and the chaplain, have been charged with sex crimes. Seven were convicted, and were sentenced to anywhere from five to seven years in prison.
In August 2023, eight inmates sued the Bureau of Prisons, alleging that it had been negligent in preventing sexual abuse. In March, the FBI raided the facility for still unknown reasons, and fired the new warden after less than three months on the job. The warden was accused of retaliating against a whistleblower inmate.
