Confidential Case Review
California Women’s Prison Sexual Abuse Claims
If you were sexually abused, coerced, threatened, or retaliated against while incarcerated at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla or the California Institution for Women (CIW) in Chino, you may have a claim against the State of California, CDCR, and the staff who harmed you. Our office reviews these matters quietly, carefully, and confidentially.
Speaking with our office is free and confidential. There is no obligation, no pressure, and no fee unless we accept your case and recover for you.
Why this page exists
In September 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation into whether the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation adequately protects incarcerated women at CCWF and CIW from sexual abuse by correctional staff. DOJ said the investigation was supported by significant justification developed from public information and stakeholder input, including numerous reports of staff sexual abuse and reports of correctional staff seeking sexual favors in exchange for contraband and privileges. As of 2026, that investigation remains open.
Public reporting and court filings now describe hundreds of women who allege sexual abuse at California women’s prisons, with many cases filed against CDCR over the past several years. A former CCWF correctional officer, Gregory Rodriguez, was convicted on more than 60 sexual abuse charges involving multiple women across nearly a decade. In October 2023, lawsuits involving Rodriguez’s conduct settled for approximately $3.7 million. Other staff have been the subject of similar accusations.
This page is for the women who lived through this and have not yet spoken with a lawyer — or who tried to and gave up.
Facilities covered
The two facilities at the center of this litigation and the federal investigation are:
Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF)
Chowchilla, Madera County. One of the largest women’s prisons in the country and a focus of the active DOJ investigation.
California Institution for Women (CIW)
Chino, San Bernardino County. Subject of significant litigation, including a notable case involving 21 women alleging staff abuse from 2014 to 2020.
Other California women’s prisons
If you experienced abuse at another California women’s facility, please reach out. Some claims involving other CDCR facilities may also merit review depending on the facts.
What kinds of conduct may qualify
The categories below describe the kinds of conduct at issue in this litigation. They are listed for orientation, not as legal advice. Whether any specific situation is actionable requires a careful, fact-specific review.
- • Sexual assault by staff — including correctional officers, sergeants, supervisors, counselors, medical or mental-health personnel, contractors, and chaplains.
- • Forced sexual touching, oral copulation, or penetration — whether overtly violent or under threat of consequences.
- • Coercion and quid pro quo — including offers of phone privileges, additional yard time, food, contraband, favorable reports, or favorable parole consideration in exchange for sexual contact. Under the law, an incarcerated woman cannot meaningfully consent to sex with the staff who control her conditions.
- • Abuse during medical, dental, or mental-health appointments — including by providers and during exams or transports.
- • Abuse in isolated or low-supervision settings — including showers, intake areas, work assignments, transport vehicles, and segregation.
- • Threats and retaliation for reporting or refusing — including disciplinary write-ups, segregation, job loss, parole consequences, and physical force.
- • Cover-ups and institutional silence — including discouraged reports, missing paperwork, and investigations that went nowhere.
Why these cases matter
The pattern is documented. The Department of Justice opened a federal civil rights investigation. A correctional officer at CCWF was convicted on more than 60 sexual abuse charges involving multiple women across nearly a decade. Lawsuits involving that officer’s conduct settled in October 2023 for approximately $3.7 million. Other staff have faced similar accusations. The state has settled additional matters tied to incidents at CCWF.
The most serious legal exposure for the State and CDCR usually arises not from any single act, but from patterns — failure to protect incarcerated women, failure to investigate complaints, deliberate indifference, negligent hiring or retention, retaliation for reporting, and a documented institutional tolerance for abuse. That is the framework on which institutional accountability claims are built.
If you were present during the August 2024 CCWF use-of-force incident
In August 2024, after many women had complained about abuse and conditions, an incident at CCWF involved a mass use of force and chemical agents against incarcerated women. California later agreed to pay approximately $1.9 million to 13 women in connection with that event. The number of women actually present at the scene was much larger.
If you were exposed to chemical agents, force, or retaliation during or around that incident — even if you were not part of the initial settlement — please reach out. Claims tied to that event are distinct from individual sexual abuse claims, but they may be reviewed together.
Who the defendants typically are
These are not simply claims against individual staff. Potential defendants commonly include:
- • The State of California
- • California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR)
- • CCWF, CIW, and the agencies responsible for their operation
- • Individual correctional staff, supervisors, and where appropriate, prison medical or mental-health personnel
- • Contractors who provided services within the facility
Naming the State and CDCR is what allows survivors to reach the institutional resources actually responsible for the conditions in which abuse occurred — and what makes meaningful accountability possible.
Common questions
Is it too late?
Whether your specific claim is still viable depends on the facts and on continuing developments in the litigation, including legislative provisions that have revived certain older claims. The DOJ investigation into CCWF and CIW remains open, and many cases continue to be filed. The only way to know about your situation is a confidential review with our office.
What if I never filed a grievance?
Most incarcerated survivors do not file grievances at the time. Fear of retaliation, threats, isolation, disbelief, and shame all keep women silent. A prior failure to file a grievance does not, by itself, defeat a claim.
What if I do not know dates or names?
Many survivors do not. The facility, the housing unit or work assignment, approximate years, the role of the person who harmed you, and a general account of what happened are usually enough to start. Records, witnesses, and other survivors often help fill in details.
What if I was abused more than once or by more than one person?
That is unfortunately common in these cases. Each incident matters, and patterns of repeated abuse often strengthen institutional liability claims. Tell us what you remember; you do not need to organize it into a perfect timeline before reaching out.
What if I only recently realized that what happened was abuse?
That is also common. Many survivors of institutional abuse take years to name what happened to them. Coming forward later does not, by itself, mean you do not have a viable claim.
What if I was offered privileges or contraband for sex?
Under the law, an incarcerated woman cannot meaningfully consent to sex with the staff who control her conditions. Quid pro quo arrangements are sexual abuse, regardless of how they were framed at the time.
Can I contact you confidentially if I am embarrassed or afraid?
Yes. Speaking with us about a possible claim is confidential. Your identity, your story, and the fact that you contacted us are not shared outside our office without your authorization.
What information helps
You do not need all of the following before reaching out. Whatever you remember is enough to start.
- • Facility name (CCWF, CIW, or another).
- • Approximate years incarcerated.
- • Housing unit, yard, or work assignment if known.
- • The role of the staff member who harmed you (officer, sergeant, counselor, medical, etc.) and a name or nickname if you remember.
- • Whether you reported the abuse to anyone at the time, and what happened if you did.
- • Whether you were threatened, written up, isolated, or retaliated against.
- • Whether anyone else witnessed it or was abused by the same person.
- • Whether you have any records, letters, journals, or family members who knew at the time.
Exact recollection is not required. Even partial information is enough to begin a careful conversation.
Why contact our office
Attorney David L. Milligan is a Board-Certified California Civil Trial Attorney with over 25 years of experience handling serious personal injury and institutional accountability cases against private entities and government defendants.
We are not a high-volume sign-up firm. We review claims carefully, decline matters we are not the right fit for, and move forward only with cases we are prepared to litigate seriously. That approach matters here, where survivors deserve respect and where the State deserves to face only well-supported claims.
- • Confidential review — nothing you tell us is shared without your authorization.
- • Trauma-informed approach — you set the pace.
- • Careful fact development — we take the time to understand what happened.
- • Institutional accountability — we pursue the State and CDCR, not only individual staff.
- • No pressure — reaching out does not commit you to anything.
Request a confidential case review
There are three ways to reach us. Use whichever feels easiest.
Option 2
Email us
Write only what you are comfortable sharing. We will reply privately.
lawyer@callegal.comOption 3
Use the form below
Submit a brief, confidential inquiry. We will follow up by your preferred method.
Go to Form ↓If you use the form, please:
- • In Type of Incident, write “California Women’s Prison Abuse” and the facility name (CCWF or CIW) if you remember.
- • In Date, an approximate year is fine if you do not remember the exact date.
- • In Briefly describe what happened, share whatever you are comfortable sharing — the facility, your approximate years there, the role of the person who harmed you, and a general description. You can keep it short. We will follow up to talk in more detail at a pace that works for you.
Important: The information on this page is provided for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Submitting an inquiry does not create an attorney–client relationship; that relationship is formed only by a written agreement signed after we evaluate the matter for conflicts and merit. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, and no specific recovery is promised. References to public investigations, convictions, and settlements describe widely reported, publicly available information; case outcomes vary by facts. Allegations described as such are allegations and remain subject to legal process. The Law Offices of David L. Milligan is licensed in California and accepts qualifying matters consistent with applicable rules of professional conduct.