Trump's week in review: ICE deployed to airports; Trump's signature to appear on US currency
4. DOJ investigates California and Maine over male inmates in women’s prisons
In a statement published Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it is investigating whether California and Maine violated the constitutional rights of female prisoners by allowing trans-identified male inmates to be housed with them. The facilities under review include the California Institution for Women in San Bernardino County, the Central California Women’s Facility in Madera County and the Maine Correctional Center in Windham.
The probe will examine possible violations of the First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and free exercise of religion, the Eighth Amendment’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment and the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause in connection with the California Transgender Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act. The DOJ stated that “there have been allegations of sexual assaults, rape, voyeurism and a pervasive climate of sexual intimidation due to the presence of males in the women’s prison.”
The DOJ will also examine allegations that “Maine has allowed a male inmate to remain housed with women despite complaints that the inmate has assaulted or harassed several female inmates.”
“Keeping men out of women’s prisons is not only common sense — it’s a matter of safety and constitutional rights,” said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. “The Trump administration will not stand by if governors are facilitating the abuse of women under the guise of inclusion.”
“Under my leadership, the Civil Rights Division will not allow women incarcerated in jails or prisons to be subject to unconstitutional risks of harm from male inmates,” vowed Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon. “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.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
