By Bradford Betz – Fox News
The Department of Justice on Thursday launched civil rights investigations into prison systems in California and Maine over policies allowing transgender inmates to be housed in women’s facilities, citing concerns about female inmates’ safety.
The probes will examine whether the states are engaged in a “pattern or practice” of violating inmates’ rights, part of a broader federal push targeting what officials call a growing national issue.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said keeping “men out of women’s prisons [was] not only common sense – it’s a matter of safety and constitutional rights.”
The investigations focus on two California facilities and the Maine Correctional Center. Officials cited allegations of sexual assault, rape and a “pervasive climate of sexual intimidation.”
The DOJ said the probes are being conducted under federal civil rights law and will examine potential violations of inmates’ constitutional protections.
In California, the policy stems from a 2020 law allowing inmates to be housed based on gender identity. The issue gained attention after a transgender inmate housed in a women’s prison was later charged with multiple counts of rape.
In Maine, officials are investigating allegations that a male inmate remained housed with women despite complaints of assault or harassment.
Maine’s Department of Corrections said it “takes resident safety concerns very seriously.”
“The Department follows state and federal law in our practices regarding transgender residents,” the department told Fox News Digital. “Transgender residents’ housing decisions are made by a multidisciplinary team, under Department policy, in compliance with state and federal law.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the DOJ will not allow women in custody to face “unconstitutional risks of harm.”
“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.
DOJ previously targeted some federal grants to Maine in April 2025 over a a transgender woman was incarcerated in a woman’s prison, but the funding was restored after Maine appealed.
California officials say they are committed to inmate safety, while a spokesperson for Maine’s governor has called the probe politically motivated.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office referred requests for comment to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The CDCR said in an email that it is committed to providing a safe, humane and respectful environment for all inmates.
“Any suggestion that all transgender women be assigned to men’s institutions as a matter of policy is a suggestion to violate federal law,” the department said.
Newsom signed in 2020 legislation requiring the CDCR to house inmates based on their gender identity instead of their sex assigned at birth, unless there are security concerns.
The investigations are ongoing and could lead to legal action if violations are found.
Rev Red