The US justice department has opened a civil rights investigation into sexual abuse by staff at California’s women’s prisons, which have for years been plagued by misconduct scandals.
The department said on Wednesday that it was investigating the state’s two women’s prisons – the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women (CIW) in Chino – and would evaluate whether the state protects incarcerated residents from sexual abuse by correctional employees.
