The Trump administration is launching an investigation into trans women in women’s prisons in California and Maine — after horrific allegations of widespread rape and harassment, the California Post has learned.
Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, confirmed to the Post the DOJ will write to Gov. Gavin Newsom and Janet Mills about the impending investigation.
The focus will be on the California Institution for Women in San Bernardino County, the Central California Women’s Facility in Madera County, and the Maine Correctional Center in Windham, which have both been at the center of horrific allegations.
Officials say the probe will examine whether the two states have violated the constitutional rights of female inmates by placing them alongside male prisoners.
The investigation follows a billboard campaign launched across California by two women’s rights groups demanding attention to a concerning rise in trans prisoners raping women.
The campaign, organized by Women Are Real and WomaniiWoman, wants better scrutiny of biological male inmates housed in women’s prisons under Senate Bill 132 – and drawing attention to the upcoming rape trial of trans prisoner Tremaine Carroll.
The California probe will examine whether officials have engaged in a “pattern or practice” of violating inmates’ rights at the two women’s facilities.
Authorities will look into allegations that female prisoners have been subjected to sexual assault, rape, voyeurism and intimidation linked to the presence of male inmates.
Investigators will also assess potential violations of First Amendment protections, the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment, and the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
“These investigations will uncover whether the dangerous national trend of housing men in women’s prisons has resulted in violations of women’s constitutional rights,” Dhillon said.
Carroll was in Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla because of SB 132, passed in 2021, allowing allowing transgender, nonbinary, and intersex inmates to be housed according to their gender identity.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation claims requests are reviewed by a classification committee rather than granted automatically.
Formally known as the Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act, it allows inmates to be housed based solely on their stated gender identity. Critics of the law say this enables male prisoners to exploit the system in order to be housed with women.
Carroll, 52, has been charged with raping three woman while imprisoned in the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. Prosecutors say one female cellmate became pregnant.
“Keeping men out of women’s prisons is not only common sense – it’s a matter of safety and constitutional rights,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. “The Trump Administration will not stand by if governors are facilitating the abuse of biological women under the guise of inclusion.”
The women’s groups are using mobile billboards emblazoned with stark warnings including “Women in CA Prisons Raped by Male Inmates,” “Incarcerated Women Matter,” and “SB 132: State-Sanctioned Rape – Media Silent.”
The DOJ has not yet reached any conclusions on the rape claims, the department noted in a press release.
“California’s Transgender Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act has provided none of these
qualities to the female inmates of state prisons who have been forced to share space with
biological men who are violent felons,” added First Assistant United States Attorney Bill
Essayli of the Central District of California in a statement.
The DOJ said it is also gathering info on trans prison inmates anywhere in the country.
In February, a Madera County judge has ruled Tremaine Carroll must be referred to using she/her pronouns because Carroll identifies as a woman.
Madera County District Attorney Sally Moreno slammed the decision, saying Moreno is abusing California’s prison housing law and said the pronoun ruling risks confusing jurors and complicating the prosecution.
“This is a particular issue in this case because it’s confusing to the jury. In California, rape is a crime that has to be accomplished by a man,” Moreno told ABC7.
“There’s no psychological evaluation required. This person does not need to be on cross-gender hormones. They don’t need to be signed up for transgender surgery. They don’t need a psychological evaluation regarding gender confusion. The mere statement is enough.”
In Maine, the Justice Department will investigate claims that a biological male inmate has remained housed with women despite complaints of assault and harassment.
“Incarcerated individuals can be particularly susceptible to having their rights violated,” said Andrew B. Benson, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting the civil rights of all Maine citizens, no matter where they live, and will work with our colleagues in the Civil Rights Division to ensure that this vulnerable population is protected from harm while housed in state custody.”
