DOJ threatens California with lawsuit over ‘unbroken pattern’ of sexual abuse in women’s prisons
The Trump administration threatened legal action against California on Thursday after an investigation found an “unbroken pattern” of sexual misconduct by employees at two state women’s prisons. In a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon at the Justice Department said investigators had reasonable cause to believe the […]
The Trump administration threatened legal action against California on Thursday after an investigation found an “unbroken pattern” of sexual misconduct by employees at two state women’s prisons.
In a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon at the Justice Department said investigators had reasonable cause to believe the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation violated prisoners’ Eighth and 14th Amendment rights under the Constitution.
” data-large-file=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/doj-threatens-california-with-lawsuit-over-unbroken-pattern-of-sexual-abuse-in-womens-prisons.webp?w=696″ src=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/doj-threatens-california-with-lawsuit-over-unbroken-pattern-of-sexual-abuse-in-womens-prisons.webp” alt=”Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon speaks during a news conference.” class=”wp-image-4686380″ srcset=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/doj-threatens-california-with-lawsuit-over-unbroken-pattern-of-sexual-abuse-in-womens-prisons.webp 1024w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/doj-threatens-california-with-lawsuit-over-unbroken-pattern-of-sexual-abuse-in-womens-prisons.webp?resize=300,200 300w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/doj-threatens-california-with-lawsuit-over-unbroken-pattern-of-sexual-abuse-in-womens-prisons.webp?resize=768,512 768w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/doj-threatens-california-with-lawsuit-over-unbroken-pattern-of-sexual-abuse-in-womens-prisons.webp?resize=150,100 150w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/doj-threatens-california-with-lawsuit-over-unbroken-pattern-of-sexual-abuse-in-womens-prisons.webp?resize=696,464 696w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon speaks during a news conference on charges related to the deadly shooting of Israeli Embassy staff during a news conference at the Attorney General’s office for the District of Columbia in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
“The depth of depravity that we’ve seen here” leaves little doubt that California must act, Dhillon said at a press conference in Los Angeles that coincided with the letter being sent. Prisoners, she added, should serve their sentences without “additional unconstitutional penalties” imposed by state employees.
The investigation examined the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino. The department said staff sexual misconduct at the facilities dates back to at least 2000 and continues today.
In her two-page letter to Newsom, Dhillon said the state has 49 days to address the conditions satisfactorily before the attorney general may sue under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act.
California’s records documented more than 375 sexual abuse allegations involving staff at the prisons between 2023 and June 2025, according to the 29-page findings report. Investigators reviewed more than 350 allegations, while 320 private lawsuits have been filed against the corrections department or the facilities.
The report highlighted former correctional officer Gregory Rodriguez, who was convicted in 2025 on 62 criminal counts involving conduct in 2014 and 2022. Investigators identified more than 65 alleged victims. Rodriguez was sentenced to 224 years in prison.
Federal investigators concluded that the prisons lacked adequate safeguards to detect abuse, confidential reporting systems, reliable investigations, and protections against retaliation. They also found that accused employees were not consistently held accountable.
The department proposed 11 corrective measures, including expanded camera coverage, body-worn cameras for staff, independent confidential reporting channels, stronger investigations, improved training, and protections for prisoners who report misconduct.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, who stood alongside Dhillon on Thursday, called the findings “unacceptable” and “unconscionable.” He said the civil investigation examined the policies and practices that allowed abuse to occur rather than specific criminal allegations.
Dhillon said California cooperated with the investigation, which began in September 2024 and continued across two presidential administrations.
She also emphasized that the findings are separate from another Justice Department investigation involving transgender prisoners housed in women’s facilities.
Dhillon alleged that women have been assaulted by biological men housed with them and said the department is wrapping up that inquiry “in short order.” Those claims were not part of Thursday’s report.
