DUBLIN — Advocates gathered outside the Federal Correctional Institution-Dublin on Friday, calling for the release of inmates as the troubled prison known for rampant sex abuse looks set to close.
The group Dublin Prison Solidarity Coalition protested at the prison, along the route where buses have been transferring prisoners to other facilities.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons announced this on Monday announced they would close FCI-Dublin after reform efforts.
“Despite these steps and resources, we have determined that FCI Dublin is not meeting expected standards and that the best course of action is to close the prison,” said Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters. “This decision is made after continued evaluation of the effectiveness of these unprecedented steps and additional resources.”
Advocates said “chaos has occurred” at the facility since the announcement, “traumatizing incarcerated people who have already been exposed to tremendous harm at the hands of the BOP, including rampant sexual abuse by staff, retaliation and medical neglect.”
The group also alleges that the BOP has continued to move prisoners despite a federal judge’s order that prisoners be evaluated for release and medically cleared before being transferred.
One of those who took part in the protest said she knew an inmate on the inside.
“She gets a call and says, ‘They’re yelling at them.’ They are asked to put all their belongings in one small bag,” the activist said. “It just feels like they’re being punished after they’ve already been victimized. And of course the unknown, they feel like there’s no one to advocate for them.”
The prison, also known as the ‘rape club’, was the center of a years of research. Since 2021, at least eight employees, including a former director, have been accused of sexually abusing inmates.
Five employees have pleaded guilty. Two were convicted at trial, including former director Ray Garcia. The case against the eighth employee is pending.
At the time the closure was announced, FCI Dublin housed approximately 600 prisoners.
