Judge Chooses Top Pick for Special Master to Oversee Women's Prison Following Rampant Abuse

Update 3 p.m. Friday: A federal judge on Friday officially appointed Wendy Still as the first-ever “special master” for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Still will oversee changes at the Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin, a low-security women’s prison in the East Bay.

“Ms. Still and her team shall have full access to FCI Dublin, all its records, and all physical facilities as necessary to provide the Court with the information necessary to address the issues raised in the Order, both in terms of assessment and implementation. The warden shall take all steps to ensure such access,” U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers wrote in her order.

A team of experts will assist Still in working to remedy issues around sexual assault, reporting and retaliation. According to the judge’s order, that team, so far, includes nurse consultant Jackie Clark, data analyst Barbara Owen, special assistant Sara Malone, and Dawn Davison, former warden of the California Institution for Women.

Original story, 2 p.m. Friday: Prison Rape Elimination Act expert Wendy Still is poised to oversee mandatory changes at an East Bay women’s prison where allegations of sexual abuse and retaliation have persisted for years.

Still’s expected appointment at Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin — where incarcerated plaintiffs say they have been victims of sexual abuse and retaliation — comes as the facility is facing at least 63 lawsuits over abuse, as well as a class action lawsuit. She is the first “special master” to monitor a facility in U.S. Bureau of Prisons history.

“The situation at Dublin can’t wait, so the court is doing things quickly and trying to provide as much transparency as possible,” said plaintiff attorney Kara Janssen. “We are happy with this selection. Ms. Still was one of the individuals we proposed, she has extensive experience and will be able to make meaningful changes quickly at the facility.”

Allegations of sexual abuse at FCI Dublin go back decades.

The most recent series of scandals first started unraveling following an investigation by The Associated Press in 2021 that found a culture of abuse and cover-ups that had persisted for years at the low-security federal women’s prison, which has more than 650 inmates.

Eight officers have been criminally charged for sexual abuse since 2021. Some cases included the former warden and chaplain, who have both been convicted and sentenced for the abuse they committed while working at the prison.

Still is the former chief probation officer for Alameda and San Francisco counties. She previously worked in correctional policy and criminal justice for more than 30 years and is coming out of retirement to oversee the beleaguered prison. She is a certified auditor for the U.S. Department of Justice Prison Rape Elimination Act, and served as a consultant on sexual abuse investigations in prions, jails, Customs and Border Protection facilities and with the U.S. Coast Guard, according to court filings.

The Department of Justice previously appointed Still to develop and implement statewide strategies in California for better gender-aligned health care services for incarcerated people.

“No matter who they would have chosen for special master, it’s not going to solve all of the issues that come with such an extensive culture of abuse in Dublin,” said attorney Amaris Montes of Rights Behind Bars, one of the groups representing the plaintiffs. “We know this is just a first step, but the reason why we asked for it is because there is such a huge problem and we really need a separate entity to come in and be able to see what the problems are.”

District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers held a status conference on Friday, following interviews on Tuesday with candidates whom attorneys on both sides proposed. Still has accepted the offer, according to Janssen, who said a court order officially appointing her is expected soon.

Next, Still will work with the court to assemble a team of experts to help oversee and address ongoing issues of abuse and retaliation at FCI Dublin. Still and her team will report to the court — not the Bureau of Prisons.

“This is too much for any one person to do,” Janssen said.

KQED’s Alex Hall contributed to this report.