'Rape Club': 103 Women Abused In Dublin Jail To Be Paid $115M: Report

DUBLIN, CA — More than 100 women abused at the Dublin prison — long known as "the rape club" among inmates — will receive a $115 million settlement from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The decision was announced on Tuesday and will be the largest monetary settlement in Bureau of Prisons history, representatives told the San Francisco Chronicle.

“We were sentenced to prison. We were not sentenced to be assaulted and abused,” Aimee Chavira, a former inmate at the Dublin women's prison, said in a statement.

The Federal Correctional Institution was shut down permanently in May, sending 600 inmates to other prisons. Earlier this month, another court agreement will prompt the justice system to monitor and improve conditions for the former Dublin inmates.

The East Bay prison drew outrage after incarcerated women first reported rampant sexual abuse by prison guards in a 2023 lawsuit.

Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle: Women abused at Dublin facility to receive largest settlement in Bureau of Prisons history

In 2022, the Associated Press reported that workers and prisoners alike called FCI Dublin "the rape club."

The AP's detailed exposé revealed a prison rife with sexual abuse, where several guards and administrators sexually abused multiple inmates and threatened retaliation if inmates spoke out or did not comply.

Since the article, the Bureau of Prisons pledged to change the prison, and lengthy investigations began. Eight former employees, including the warden and the chaplain, have been charged with sex crimes. Seven were convicted, and were sentenced to anywhere from five to seven years in prison.

In April, the troubled prison closed temporarily following numerous staff convictions of sexual abuse, an FBI raid and the appointment of a special master to oversee operations. The abrupt closure was fraught with issues, as staff tried to move 600 inmates to different locations around the country. Inmates were sent on long flights or bus rides, often without necessary food, sanitation, or medicine, to uncertain destinations, according to a report from the Bay Area News Group.

READ MORE: 'Rape Club' Women's Federal Prison To Close Permanently