The U.S. Justice Department announced on Thursday that it has reasonable cause to believe California's prison system failed to protect female prisoners from sexual abuse and harassment by staff, violating their constitutional rights.

The findings stem from a years-long investigation into the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, focusing on the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino. Investigators identified a longstanding pattern of staff sexual misconduct, inadequate safeguards, failures in confidential reporting, improper investigative practices, and insufficient accountability measures.

Federal officials stated that the department knew about repeated incidents of sexual assault and harassment against female prisoners yet failed to act. The report noted awareness of complaints dating back as far as 2000 and concluded that the facilities knowingly exposed inmates to risk by failing to detect or prevent assaults, provide confidential reporting channels, or hold staff accountable.

"Female prisoners have the constitutional right to be free from sexual assault and harassment by prison staff," said Harmeet K. Dhillon, a Justice Department official, in a statement. "This deliberate indifference to the suffering of female prisoners at the hands of prison staff is illegal."

The investigation also found that staff tasked with investigating misconduct were sometimes themselves accused of abuse or harassment. The facilities failed to implement requirements under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act.

In response, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said it enforces a zero-tolerance policy as mandated by the Prison Rape Elimination Act. The department indicated it is making improvements, though advocates have argued those steps fall short.

The Justice Department provided California with notice of the minimum changes needed to address the violations. The probe, which included subpoenas for records, began in 2024.