“CDCR needs leaders who will maintain the safety, privacy, and dignity of incarcerated women in their care.”

On August 25, WoLF Legal Director Lauren Adams testified to the California Senate Rules Committee against the appointment of Jeffery Macomber, Undersecretary of Operations, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

The full transcript of the hearing is available here.

Lauren Adams’ Full Testimony:

Hi. My name is Lauren Adams, and I am the legal director of Women's Liberation Front, a progressive feminist organization fighting for the rights of women and girls. Part of our work is advocacy for single-sex prisons, and I am here to testify in opposition today.

Some quick facts. 86 percent of incarcerated women are victims of abuse, and they are disproportionately women of color, disproportionately grew up in poverty. Compared to men, they're vastly less likely to be violent criminals, and only 4 percent of female inmates are sex offenders. By contrast, 20 percent of trans-identified male inmates are sex offenders, according to U.C. Irvine. Some of these men are now being housed with women under the stewardship of CDCR.

Just a handful of them include:

Shawn Gustafson, who molested a six-year-old and an eight-year-old, and he is being housed in CIW, fully intact male genitals. Jason Hahn is on Death Row for murdering two infants. He is being housed in the same facility as his victims' mother.

Anthony Lipsey is serving life for murder. He assaulted his female cell mate and spent a brief period in ad. seg. before being dumped on a different yard without restrictions. Christian Ramirez is under investigation for sexual assault. His victim disclosed immediately to a staff member who told her that if she wanted to be separated from him, she would need to go to administrative segregation.

Jonathan Robertson was transferred in June and is already in administrative segregation pending a sexual assault investigation. And Patrick White, who is a convicted rapist and a member of the Aryan Brotherhood.

So those are just a handful of the dozens of men who are now being housed there. 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. And 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 CIW is that officers must keep their body cams on during strip searches, and the footage is being saved in the cloud.

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. Many of these women have been sexually abused, and now they are required to be strip searched, videotaped naked, and they know that the footage is being saved in the cloud. This is causing them severe emotional distress.

I have a quote from an inmate who wanted to read this, said: “This is the most malicious way to tell an abused woman what we went through wasn't important. Despite our trauma, we are forced to live, shower, and coexist with our pain by bringing men in to our only way of living safe to be able to rehabilitate. Tell me how is that in any way humane. It's not. You are sacrificing our safety to keep a few men quiet. I'm disgusted by the actions of those in power. I hope this letter reaches a honestly caring hand.”

We've received hundreds of letters and messages from women who are at CCWF and CIW who are terrified and angry. They are humiliated. Mr. Macomber also mentioned that CCWF cells fit four to six people. Actually, they were built for four people and they are housing up to eight of them in there. And the showers and the toilets are in there as well.

CDCR needs leaders who will maintain the safety, privacy, and dignity of incarcerated women in their care. If nationwide experts are being consulted on the implementation of SB 132, we urge them to seek input from women's rights advocates. And I would define women as female people. So if you have a women's rights group that's advocating for the male offenders, then that's not a women's rights group. So I would urge a diversity of perspective in implementation.

I also request that the Committee ask the Inspector General to investigate the conditions in the women's facilities that are resulting from mixed-sex prison housing on the basis of gender identity, and in particular make sure that the conditions on the ground are made -- that CDCR leaders are aware of conditions on the ground, that they understand these things before the public does.

I really appreciate the opportunity to be here and testify today, and I would thank you again.

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