CA Women’s Detention Abuse
“Guarded, not protected.”
Women held in California's jails and prisons were placed in the state's care. Instead, guards and deputies allegedly used that power to abuse them. We represent survivors — and we hold the institutions accountable.
Sexual assault, abuse & harassment by staff while in custody
County women's jails & CA state women's prisons (CIW, CCWF)
Counties, sheriff's departments, CDCR & individual officers
Coordinated proceedings (incl. JCCP 5276) — filings surging
What this litigation is about
California is facing a wave of sexual-abuse lawsuits arising from its women’s detention and correctional facilities — from county women’s jails such as the Century Regional Detention Facility to state women’s prisons including the California Institution for Women (Chino) and the Central California Women’s Facility (Chowchilla). Survivors allege that guards, deputies, and staff used their custodial authority to sexually assault, abuse, and harass incarcerated women, while institutions ignored complaints. A 2025 state audit sharply criticized how slowly abusive officers were disciplined.
Who may have a claim
Women who were sexually abused, assaulted, or harassed by staff while held in a California jail, detention center, or state prison.
The legal theory
Institutional negligence and civil-rights violations — failure to supervise and discipline staff, failure to protect women in custody, and the heightened duty owed to people the state has confined — brought alongside direct claims against the individual abusers.
Why survivors choose Stinar Lannen
Our attorneys hold court-appointed leadership in California JCCP 5276, representing more than 3,000 women sexually abused in California correctional facilities, and have helped recover more than $1.5 billion for survivors of institutional abuse. We handle these cases with a trauma-informed approach, on contingency, and in strict confidence.
Talk to the lawyers who actually try these cases.
Free, confidential case review. If we take your case, you pay nothing unless we win. Our attorneys — not a call center — evaluate every claim.