Jeff Macomber Promoted to CDCR Secretary Amid Prison Abuse Allegations
As the previous Undersecretary for CA Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Macomber oversaw cruel and violent policies against female inmates through his implementation of SB 132
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) recently announced that Jeff Macomber, former CDCR Undersecretary, had been promoted to the head of CDCR. The promotion comes amid one of the most distressing periods of the state’s modern correctional program following a series of sexual abuse accusations and the cruel policies implemented in California women’s prisons.
OUR ADVOCACY FOR INCARCERATED WOMEN
In 2021, WoLF Legal Director Lauren Adams Bone testified in a hearing against Macomber’s appointment as Undersecretary, citing the devastating impact of Macomber’s role in implementing SB 132, which allows men to be housed in women’s prisons based on this claimed “gender identity.” You can read the full transcript of the hearing here.
WoLF is currently suing the state of California over civil and constitutional rights violations that have stemmed from these “gender identity” policies - read more about Chandler v. CDCR.
In her testimony against Macomber, Adams Bone pointed out multiple other instances in which the former Undersecretary was seemingly unaware of the on-the-ground reality in California women’s prisons.
“I’m very deeply concerned about the information disconnect between central CDCR and the women’s facilities. There have been a number of times in recent months where they have been unaware of things going on.”
“There have been a number of times in recent months where they have been unaware of things going on,” Adams Bone testified. “Just during this hearing, Mr. Macomber said body cams are turned off during strip searches, and he also said it's appropriate to do so. But, actually, official policy at [California Institution for Women] is that officers must keep their body cams on during strip searches, and the footage is being saved in the cloud.”
Adams Bone added, “According to one correctional officer, this policy is in place because male offenders who are being housed in women's facilities are getting erections during strip searches, and making sexual comments to female staff. This was discussed at a July Inmate Advisory Council meeting due to concerns raised by the women regarding this issue.“ Female correctional officers also suffer the harms of SB 132 as they encounter male transfers in women’s prisons.
MACOMBER’s LEGACY: EnABLING MALE VIOLENCE
In Macomber’s time as Undersecretary at CDCR, incarcerated women in California reported rape, sexual harassment, pregnancy, and retaliation due to being housed with violent male offenders. Most of these women were already victims of sexual abuse, domestic violence, and other forms of male violence before they even entered the California prison system. Thanks to SB 123, that trauma continues while women are in state custody, led by Macomber.
Reports have also surfaced of a Central California Women’s Facility guard sexually abusing over 20 female inmates. In his statement to the press on this issue, Macomber admitted that the allegation “shatters the trust of the public.“ However, Macomber fails to take accountability for his oversight during this time period.
Despite the cruel legacy of his two years as Undersecretary, Macomber has shown no sympathy for the incarcerated women impacted by his department’s policies.
In a 2022 interview, he stated that he was “proud” to be a Correctional Officer and claimed that his work has “a meaningful impact on the incarcerated population’s lives.”
As the newly-appointed Secretary of CDCR, we don’t doubt that Macomber’s leadership will have a meaningful impact on the female inmates we represent. What has yet to be determined is if Macomber will continue his callous disregard for the vulnerable incarcerated women in his care, or if he will step up to right the wrongs he helped establish as Undersecretary.
LISTEN: WOLF’S 2021 TESTIMONY TO CA SENATE RULES COMMITTEE
TAKE ACTION!
Write to your Senators and House Representatives today and ask them to vote YES on the Preventing Violence Against Female Inmates Act. Senators on both sides of the aisle must hear from constituents expressing outrage and disappointment over the Biden administration’s efforts to house men, including sex offenders, in women’s prisons.
We must no longer be the silent majority but a powerful force that our elected representatives cannot ignore if they wish to stay in office.
