CHOWCHILLA, Calif. — State lawmakers are demanding answers from prison officials following the state’s $1.9 million settlement nearly two years after guards inside California’s largest women’s prison sprayed dozens of incarcerated women with pepper spray.
On Aug. 2, 2024, correctional officers gathered numerous incarcerated women in the prison cafeteria during a property search that two lawsuits allege was retaliation for filing sexual misconduct complaints against staff members under the 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act.
The incident was first reported by the Chronicle after internal surveillance videos were leaked online. It involved two separate use-of-force incidents at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, located in Madera County.
According to footage cited by the Chronicle and leaked audio interviews, guards fired chemical agents at incarcerated women who visibly posed no threat. Additionally, a group was brought to the yard, many of whom had their hands zip-tied.
Attorney Robert Chalfant, who represented 13 of the allegedly injured incarcerated women, said the state agreed to settle a federal lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of California for $1,915,000, with plaintiffs receiving between $50,000 and $200,000 apiece.
Chalfant said, “You don’t lose your constitutional rights at the doors of a state prison.” A second federal lawsuit representing around 160 incarcerated women is scheduled for mediation in August.
The Legislature held hearings this month that raised concerns about the incident and called for reforms by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
On April 15, four people appeared before the Senate Rules Committee, including acting Associate Director of Region II Kathleen Ratcliff, who was questioned by senators citing the Chronicle’s reporting.
Sen. John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, said he was shocked by the Chronicle’s report, describing “men standing there pepper spraying and women diving for the floor.” Ratcliff said staff members were disciplined as a result.
Sen. Eloise Gomez Reyes, D-Colton, referred to the Chronicle’s interviews with formerly incarcerated women who said they feared reporting prison abuse because they worried they would not be believed and could be accused of filing false claims.
Ratcliff, whose appointment was supported by advocacy organizations representing currently and formerly incarcerated people, said individuals who report sexual misconduct are directly interviewed by CDCR managers and monitored for signs of retaliation, which she said is punished. At last week’s hearing, Ratcliff acknowledged that incarcerated people “do not always feel safe in reporting, particularly due to concerns of retaliation.”
The committee voted to advance the appointment of Ratcliff and the other CDCR officials to a confirmation vote by the full Senate.
Ratcliff also outlined numerous changes the corrections department has made since last year’s Assembly hearing, including expanded use of body-worn cameras and increased independent oversight. She said that in January, the Central California women’s prison was found to be in compliance with federal standards.
While the Trump administration reduced funding to the National PREA Resource Center last April, citing a lack of alignment with its priorities, PREA remains federal law, and some funding is still accessible.
Despite those changes, Amika Mota, executive director of the Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, an organization for previously incarcerated women and transgender people, said retaliation against incarcerated women remains severe.
Mota told Assembly members, “Since we met last year, retaliation against survivors of staff sexual abuse has escalated. Survivors are losing jobs and peer roles, denied privacy when reporting and facing ongoing harassment.”
Sandra Deanda, who spent 19 years at the Chowchilla prison and was incarcerated there in August 2024, said that “while this incident was extreme, officers used weapons and force routinely to silence people who were trying to get medical attention, mental health care or report abuse,” showing the incident was not isolated.
Deanda said she was sexually assaulted by an officer who threatened her and other women with solitary confinement if they did not perform sexual acts. She said the officer “was able to retire” while she was “in constant fear of retaliation.”
Ratcliff said all staff involved in the August 2024 incident were subjected to additional training on the use of force, de-escalation tactics and report writing, and that criminal referrals had been made, acknowledging that “trust has been broken amongst the (incarcerated) population.”
Assembly Member Nick Schultz, D-Burbank, said his trust in the corrections department was shaken and that the video of the August 2024 incident was “appalling and disturbing.”
He said, “My trust in the department is fractured based on everything that I have seen. I would love nothing more for that trust to be repaired and restored. But as I sit here right now, results matter.”
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