Condemns BOP Effort to Evade Accountability and Systemic Change!
On Monday, April 15, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) announced plans to abruptly close FCI Dublin women’s prison in a surprise move designed to evade the jurisdiction of the Special Master Wendy Still. Judge Gonzalez Rogers appointed the Special Master–the first in BOP’s history–on April 5, 2024 to oversee the facility in light of rampant staff abuse, retaliation, and medical neglect. BOP officials began to load incarcerated people onto buses early in the morning on 4/15 before the Judge and Special Master were even aware of their plans. Chaos unfolded inside the facility, traumatizing incarcerated people who have already been subjected to immense harm by the BOP. As soon as she learned about what was happening, the Judge issued an order that people at Dublin needed to be evaluated for possible release and medically cleared before they could be transferred.
The Dublin Prison Solidarity Coalition (DPSC) calls for people to be released from BOP custody as soon as possible and demands that no person be transferred away from Dublin until everyone is evaluated for potential release. This is the only resolution that gives justice and accountability to those who have been incarcerated at Dublin and have endured terrible injustices for years. There are many options for release–including compassionate release, home confinement and release to halfway houses– and we believe that the overwhelming majority of people incarcerated at Dublin could meet the requirements for one of these options. We also echo the National Council’s call for President Biden to grant clemency to anyone who was sexually abused at FCI Dublin.
DPSC has worked for over two years to advocate with and for people incarcerated at Dublin. We brought a class action lawsuit demanding systemic change. We collectively publicized the systemic problems which have led to rampant, continual sexual abuse. We advocated against the pervasive medical abuse occurring at the prison. We won recognition from the courts that the law is being broken and appointment of a special master was required in order to ensure that immediate changes were made.
At the very point when outside oversight was being brought in, BOP decided to shut Dublin down. But BOP should not be able to hide from community accountability.. The only other BOP women’s facility on the West Coast is nearly 400 miles away, and does not have capacity for everyone at risk of being transferred. People forcibly transferred could be sent thousands of miles away from their loved ones and their children. In addition, the entire BOP system is plagued by the same issues present at FCI Dublin, including staff sexual abuse, widespread retaliation, and abhorrent medical care. BOP wants to transfer people at FCI Dublin to far-off facilities which have their own records of abuse but do not have the type of consistent community support that has been built at Dublin.
We will not let the BOP succeed with its effort to disappear the people detained at Dublin. We are committed to maintaining our community advocacy, litigation and solidarity across the walls!
RELEASE NOT TRANSFERS!
HOLD BOP ACCOUNTABLE!
For more information contact dublinprisonsolidarity@gmail.com
