Things are in a sad state of affairs for citizens of California under Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D-CA), the latter of which wants to win the top job in November’s midterm elections. Sadly, the quality of life appears to be even worse in some of the Golden State’s prisons, according to a new investigative report released Thursday by the Trump Justice Department (DOJ) alleging violations of the constitutional rights of women simply serving their time.
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Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote on her X account about the damning allegations:
The @CivilRights Division found that CA systemically subjects female prisoners to sexual assault by staff, & fails to hold staff accountable. @TheJusticeDept provided CA with necessary steps to address violations. We will not allow CA to ignore the abuse of female prisoners!…
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) August 13, 2026
In its announcement, the DOJ said that three prisons — California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla, and the California Institution for Women (CIW) in Chino — appear to be violating female prisoners’ rights by failing to hold accountable staffers who are committing sexual abuse and harassment against them.
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The release continued:
Investigators uncovered a longstanding pattern of sustained staff sexual misconduct, inadequate safeguards, failures in confidential reporting, improper investigative practices, and insufficient accountability measures. The Department concluded that these systemic deficiencies grievously violate prisoners’ rights under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. Further, CDCR, CCWF, and CIW fail to adequately and effectively implement the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA).
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The Civil Rights Division, as Dhillon noted above, passed along to California the directives it needs to follow to correct the violations of law:
- expanded camera coverage;
- enhanced confidential reporting channels;
- strengthened investigative protocols;
- improved staff training and monitoring;
- and implementation of PREA‑compliant safeguards.
Now, the clock is ticking over whether the Justice Department will take them to court.
“If state officials do not satisfactorily address these concerns within 49 days,” DOJ warned, “the Attorney General may initiate litigation under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 1997 et seq,”
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California said what the report uncovered is “unacceptable”:
“These facts are unacceptable. California owes a legal and moral duty to safeguard prisoners in its custody. The State must confront the persistent failure of its own employees to prevent and address sexual abuse at these facilities and the systemic breakdowns that have permitted these conditions to persist.”
He called on the state to see the report as “a turning point.”
AAG Dhillon, meanwhile, did not mince words about how her office and the U.S. attorneys’ offices overseeing the investigation will proceed. (Emphasis added)
“Female prisoners have the constitutional right to be free from sexual assault and harassment by prison staff,” she said. “The Department of Justice’s investigation revealed that California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation knew of repeated incidents of sexual assault and harassment against female prisoners, and failed to protect them.“
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“This deliberate indifference to the suffering of female prisoners at the hands of prison staff is illegal,” Dhillon said, “and the Civil Rights Division, in partnership with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Eastern and Central Districts of California, will end this brutal abuse.”
The DOJ expressed hope that California will start “working cooperatively” with it to make sure the Constitution is being followed.
We’ll see if Newsom and company decide to work cooperatively with the Trump administration here.
Editor’s Note: President Trump is leading America into the “Golden Age” as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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