Eleven women incarcerated at FMC Carswell, a federal medical women's prison in Fort Worth, Texas, have filed lawsuits alleging they were subjected to rampant sexual abuse by staff members over the past seven years. The lawsuits, filed since 1 May in federal District of Columbia court, name Beth Reese, chief of the office of internal affairs for the Bureau of Prisons (BoP), and the United States as defendants. Each suit lodges ten civil claims, including negligence, sexual battery, and trafficking victims.
The women identify six staff members as perpetrators, including a doctor, a chaplain, and three officers. Several allege assault by the head of the BioMed office. The facility has long been a focus of sexual abuse investigations, with 13 staff convicted of abuse and misconduct since 1997. Despite promises of reform, the women say prison officials have turned a blind eye to the abuse.
Priscilla Ellis, an army veteran incarcerated at Carswell, said she was abused for more than a year by a staff member. 'It's like human trafficking behind prison walls,' she told the Guardian. The BoP stated it 'takes all allegations of sexual abuse seriously and investigates credible allegations thoroughly,' but declined further comment. The US has sought to transfer the cases to Texas; a judge approved a transfer in one case in July.
A Guardian analysis of facility internal violations records, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, shows that sexual assault allegations at Carswell have rarely resulted in disciplinary action. Some accused staff were allowed to retire or resign in lieu of a complete investigation. The prison houses women with severe mental and physical ailments, making them particularly vulnerable.
Attorney Deborah Golden, representing several women, called the abuse 'a national problem' requiring proactive steps to change the culture. A 2022 Senate report found 22 women were sexually assaulted at Carswell from 2012 to 2022, the most of any federal women's prison. In response, then BoP director Colette Peters pledged to enhance prevention and change the culture, but the latest lawsuits suggest little has improved.
