The California Institution for Women, called CIW, is the state’s oldest women’s prison and one of its most troubled. Located in the Chino area of San Bernardino County and operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, CIW has long been associated with overcrowding, inadequate medical care, and repeated allegations of sexual abuse by staff.
This page will look at civil lawsuits for sexual abuse of female prisoners at the California Institution for Women in Chino. Inmates at CIW have been subjected to alleged sexual abuse at the hands of correctional officers through threats and coercion. Many inmates have also alleged sexual abuse by the prison OB-GYN during medical exams.
In recent years, former inmates have come forward describing sexual assault by correctional officers and predatory conduct during medical exams, including CIW’s longtime OB-GYN, Dr. Scott Lee. Those revelations have led to civil sexual assault lawsuits, a federal investigation, and renewed scrutiny of how California prisons protect the women in their custody.