The Justice Department is set to initiate a comprehensive investigation into claims that a transgender woman assaulted and raped women in prisons located in California and Maine.
Harmeet Dhillon, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, informed the Post that they plan to reach out to the attorneys general from both states to discuss the investigation.
This inquiry comes in the wake of a billboard campaign by two women’s rights organizations that highlight the concerning rise in incidents of trans prisoners perpetrating assaults on women.
The campaign, backed by Women Are Real and WomaniiWoman, calls for heightened scrutiny of biological male inmates placed in women’s facilities under Senate Bill 132, as well as increased attention on forthcoming rape trials. One notable case involves trans prisoner Tremaine Carroll.
“These investigations will determine if the concerning trend of placing men in women’s prisons has led to breaches of women’s constitutional rights,” Dhillon remarked.
Carroll was admitted to the Central California Women’s Facility due to SB 132, a law enacted in 2021 that allows transgender, non-binary, and intersex inmates to be housed based on their gender identity.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation claims that placement requests are examined by a classification committee rather than being approved automatically.
The law, officially named the Transgender Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act, permits inmates to be housed solely according to their affirmed gender identity. Critics argue that this could enable male inmates to be placed alongside women.
Carroll, who is 52, faces charges for raping three women while detained at the facility in Chowchilla, with reports indicating that one cellmate became pregnant.
Women’s organizations are deploying mobile billboards featuring stark messages such as “Women in California prisons raped by male inmates,” “Incarcerated women matter,” and “SB 132: State-sanctioned rape – silence from the media.”
As of now, the Justice Department has made no definitive conclusions regarding the allegations, as stated in a press release. The investigation particularly targets the Central California Women’s Facility and the California Institute for Women located in San Bernardino County. They aim to determine if the treatment of transgender inmates infringes on institutional civil rights laws.
“California’s Transgender Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act does not address these issues,” commented Bill Essayi, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.
Additionally, the Justice Department is gathering information on transgender inmates throughout the nation.
In a separate ruling, a Madera County judge mandated that Tremaine Carroll must use female pronouns as she identifies as a woman.
Madera County District Attorney Sally Moreno criticized this decision, asserting that it misuses California’s prison housing laws and could confuse jurors, potentially complicating the prosecution. “This is especially troublesome since it can mislead the jury. In California, rape has to be committed by a man,” Moreno remarked.
“We shouldn’t need psychological evaluations or any other measures. A simple statement is sufficient,” she added.
