Sexual Violence and Abuse in California Prisons

As a result of incarceration, incarcerated persons do have some of their rights limited and prisons are allowed to curtail certain rights based on safety and security, there are certain basic fundamental human rights that cannot be taken away from an individual, even when they have been incarcerated in prison or county jail.

The Eight Amendment to the United States Constitution incarcerated persons from cruel and unusual punishment, and that incarcerated persons are entitled to be housed in humane conditions, entitled to adequate mental and medical care, which for women include the right to prenatal and other necessary medical care if they are pregnant, as well as postpartum care. Female inmates also have the right to refuse sterilization or any other birth control if they do not want it. All incarcerated individuals are entitled to freedom from discrimination, sexual harassment, the use of excessive force and assault, which includes sexual assault.

In 2003 the Prison Rape Elimination Act established a zero-tolerance policy for rape in any United States prison, which includes state as well as federal prisons. Unfortunately, sexual assault and rape in prisons across the United States continues to be a prevalent problem and countless inmates suffer as a result.

Recent revelations coming from the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla, California, show how widespread staff-on-inmate sexual abuse continues to be to this day. The CCWF is the largest female-only correctional facility in the United States and is operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Similar to other female-only facilities, the CCWF has been embroiled in allegations of sexual abuse for decades.

In December 2022, CDCR announced that it referred its internal investigation into Gregory Rodriguez, who served as a correctional officer at CCWF from September 2010 until August 2022, to the Madera County DA for charges of alleged sexual misconduct against inmates housed at CCWF. The investigation began following the discovery of information that had indicated sexual misconduct by Mr. Rodriguez. CDCR’s Office of Internal Affairs (OIA) and the CCWF Investigative Service Unit (ISU) conducted the internal investigation, which identified more than 22 potential victims of Mr. Rodriguez.

“If the reports emerging from the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) about rampant sexual violence and abuses of power were being reported from anywhere else, there would be outrage across the state. But because these survivors are locked inside California’s largest women’s prison, no one seems to care. The silence is deafening,” said Lilli Paratore, managing attorney at Uncommon Law, representing clients in the discretionary parole process.

To read more about the ongoing issues the women incarcerated at CCWP face concerning sexual misconduct, read "CA Women’s Prison Attorney Recounts Rape of Prisoners by Prison Staff, How ‘No One Seems to Care’" from the staff at the Davis Vanguard, a community-based watchdog and news reporting organization that seeks to cover community debates and other events in a full and thorough manner.