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The Department of Justice on Thursday launched civil rights investigations into prison systems in California and Maine over policies allowing transgender inmates to be housed in women’s facilities, citing concerns about female inmates’ safety.
The probes will examine whether the states are engaged in a “pattern or practice” of violating inmates’ rights, part of a broader federal push targeting what officials call a growing national issue.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said keeping “men out of women’s prisons [was] not only common sense – it’s a matter of safety and constitutional rights.”
The investigations focus on two California facilities and the Maine Correctional Center. Officials cited allegations of sexual assault, rape and a “pervasive climate of sexual intimidation.”
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Attorney General Pam Bondi said “treating Americans equally is not a suggestion” in a DOJ statement on the matter. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The DOJ said the probes are being conducted under federal civil rights law and will examine potential violations of inmates’ constitutional protections.
In California, the policy stems from a 2020 law allowing inmates to be housed based on gender identity. The issue gained attention after a transgender inmate housed in a women’s prison was later charged with multiple counts of rape.
The Justice Department charged three individuals in connection with an alleged scheme to illegally export U.S. AI technology to China, officials said on March 19. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
In Maine, officials are investigating allegations that a male inmate remained housed with women despite complaints of assault or harassment.
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Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the DOJ will not allow women in custody to face “unconstitutional risks of harm.”
“These investigations will uncover whether the dangerous national trend of housing men in women’s prisons has resulted in violations of women’s constitutional rights,” Dhillon said.
Prisoners meet at the Central California Women’s Facility on June 18, 2024, in Chowchilla, California. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
California officials say they are committed to inmate safety, while a spokesperson for Maine’s governor has called the probe politically motivated.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the DOJ and state officials for comment.
The investigations are ongoing and could lead to legal action if violations are found.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
