As Trial Begins for Former FCI Dublin Official, Community Groups Demand Support and Sanctuary for Survivors of Prison Staff Sexual Abuse
联系人:
伊莎贝拉贝斯坦, 拉扎BG大游集团 | iberistain[@]sumigoya.net | 916-420-1057
Diana Block, CCWP | Diana [@]womenprisoners.org | 415-484-9360
Amaris Montes, 监狱中的权利 | amaris[@]rightsbehindbars.org | 202-455-4399
2023年5月30日
As Trial Begins for Former FCI Dublin Official, Community Groups Demand Support and Sanctuary for Survivors of Prison Staff Sexual Abuse
奥克兰, CA – The trial of former prison guard John Bellhouse begins this morning at the federal district courthouse in downtown Oakland, 加州. Bellhouse is charged with sexually assaulting multiple incarcerated women in his custody. He was one of five former FCI Dublin officials indicted in 2021–the other four officials, including the former warden and chaplain, have already been convicted of sexual abuse. As Bellhouse’s long-awaited trial starts, survivors and their supporters are calling on federal authorities to center and meet the needs of those directly impacted by prison staff sexual abuse.
Members of the Dublin Prison Solidarity Coalition, a partnership of people currently and formerly incarcerated at FCI Dublin and community organizations, have spoken with over 120 people who suffered staff abuse and retaliation at the prison, many of whom have contributed to the federal criminal investigation. While many advocates welcome public accountability, survivors are clear that the prosecution of a handful of bad actors will not address the deep, systemic issues that perpetuate a culture of abuse at the prison, will not keep survivors safe or help them to heal. 联合政府 urged federal prosecutors and the Department of Justice 更好地支持幸存者, including through release from custody, 保护不被驱逐出境, access to robust mental healthcare.
“Though survivors have taken unimaginable risks to report abuse and assist the criminal investigation, 许多人仍然被监禁。 in the custody of the very agency responsible for their abuse; 被移民海关执法局无限期拘留 and facing permanent separation from their families; and suffering the impacts of trauma without adequate resources and mental health support. Survivors made these criminal cases possible, 他们应该得到更好的,艾琳·内夫强调道, member of the 加州 Coalition for Women Prisoners.
联合政府 has called for sanctuary for noncitizen survivors of abuse. FCI Dublin staff targeted noncitizen women for abuse, federal investigators have relied on the testimony of dozens of noncitizen victims and witnesses. However, agencies involved in the prosecutions – including the U.S. 检察官办公室, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Inspector General – have repeatedly refused to help survivors secure victim-based immigration relief or otherwise shield them from deportation. 结果是, at least 11 women who were sexually assaulted by FCI Dublin guards have already been deported, at least 26 are currently facing deportation – including women who testified against former warden Garcia at trial in December, who are set to testify against Bellhouse at his upcoming trial.
“The Department of Justice is failing FCI Dublin survivors. Federal prosecutors and investigators can and must sign visa certifications and request 保护不被驱逐出境 for noncitizens who suffered abuse and retaliation at the hands of federal government employees,Deyci Carrillo Lopez说, an advocate with 拉扎BG大游集团.
克丽丝特尔, who suffered and reported abuse by multiple former FCI Dublin guards, is now in immigration detention and facing deportation, stated: “The guards targeted us because they knew we weren’t citizens, assumed we would be deported and they would get away with it. I survived the guards’ abuse and threats. After I spoke up, I survived the constant harassment and retaliation. Now I’ve survived seven months in ICE detention. I don’t know how much more they can expect me to survive. All we are asking for is a chance to return to our communities and reunite with our kids and heal from everything they put us through.”
联盟一直在 calling for sweeping changes at FCI Dublin as the best way to promote true institutional accountability and ensure that such harms are not perpetrated in the future. “Prosecutions of individual actors who perpetrated sexual abuse will not remedy the unimaginable harm that people at FCI Dublin suffered, or seriously change the system that facilitated that harm,阿马里斯·蒙特斯补充说, an attorney at 监狱中的权利.
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成立于2021年, Dublin Prison Solidarity Coalition is a partnership of people currently and formerly at FCI Dublin and their supporters. 联盟成员包括 北加州公民自由联盟, 加州 Coalition for Women Prisoners, 加州 Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, 拉扎BG大游集团, Dolores Street Community Services, 监狱中的权利.