Congressman ‘deeply disturbed’ by Star-Telegram report on Fort Worth prison rapes
U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey is calling for an investigation into FMC Carswell, the federal women’s prison in Fort Worth, after a Star-Telegram investigation uncovered allegations of systemic sexual abuse and cover-ups.
“These claims must be investigated swiftly,” Veasey said in a tweet, “and as your member of Congress, I will do everything in my power to ensure there is justice for these victims and that institutional change will take place.”
On Friday, the Star-Telegram published a months-long investigation into Carswell, the only federal medical facility for women in the country. A dozen women currently or previously incarcerated at the prison described sexual assaults and rapes by staff members. A former staff member and union president said reports of misconduct are ignored or covered up.
One former staff member said she reported a lieutenant for raping women at the prison and was subsequently retaliated against and fired.
Veasey, a Democratic congressman and former Texas State House member, shared the Star-Telegram’s story on Twitter account and said he was “deeply disturbed by reports that Fort Worth’s FMC Carswell prison had the highest number of sexual abuse claims out of all U.S. women’s prisons.”
FMC Carswell had the highest rate of sexual assault allegations in the country from 2014 to 2018, and the highest number of assault allegations against staff, the Star-Telegram found. In that period, 35 women at Carswell reported they were sexually assaulted by a staff member.
In a whistleblower complaint filed in July, the union president at FMC Carswell laid out accusations of “corruption, misconduct and malfeasance.”
The Star-Telegram asked the federal Bureau of Prisons this week if it plans to investigate the allegations reported by the newspaper. A spokesman said Wednesday that the bureau responds directly to members of Congress and “out of respect and deference to Members, we do not share our Congressional correspondence with media or elaborate on the contents of such correspondence.”
“The BOP takes allegations of staff misconduct seriously and, consistent with national policy, refers all allegations for investigation,” spokesman Donald Murphy said in an emailed statement. “Incidents of potential criminal activity or misconduct inside BOP facilities are thoroughly investigated for potential administrative discipline or criminal prosecution.”
The Bureau of Prisons previously declined an interview request from the Star-Telegram and had declined to comment on specific allegations at the facility.
This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 4:33 PM.
