Harmeet Dhillon launches investigation into Washington state over housing men in women's prisons

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched a federal investigation into Washington state for housing men in its state women's prison facilities. This follows several accusations from female prisoners alleging that male inmates who identify as transgender have committed various crimes against them, including sexual abuse.

The DOJ announced the investigation in a letter to Washington Democrat Gov. Bob Ferguson on Tuesday, citing potential violations of female prisoners' Eighth Amendment rights to be free from cruel and unusual punishment, including the state's response to allegations of sexual assaults, rape, voyeurism, and sexual intimidation stemming from the state's housing of male prisoners in the female-only Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW) in Gig Harbor.

"Under my leadership, the Civil Rights Division will not allow women incarcerated in jails or prisons to be subject to unconstitutional risks of harm from male inmates," said Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon in a press release. "The constitutional rights of women cannot be sacrificed at the altar of appeasing unsupported and dangerous ideologies."

While President Trump signed an executive order prohibiting men from being housed in female-only prisons last year, several states are still housing men with women as long as they claim a transgender identity. Washington state adopted a transgender prisoner policy in 2020, allowing inmates to be housed in facilities based on their gender identity.

Since the legislation took effect, numerous male inmates have been transferred to the WCCW, including those convicted of serious offenses against women, such as rape and murder. Several female inmates have filed lawsuits against the state and related entities for alleged abuse they have faced.

In 2024, plaintiff Mozzy Clark-Sanchez sued the state's Department of Corrections (DOC) on allegations that she was sexually abused and harassed by male inmate Christopher Williams, a 6-foot-4 convicted pedophile serving a 28.5-year prison sentence for nearly killing his ex-girlfriend in a brutal assault. Williams was placed in a cell with Clark-Sanchez at the WCCW after changing his gender identity to female in 2021, court records show.

Clark-Sanchez made several sexual abuse allegations against Williams in the complaint. He was quietly transferred back to a men's facility in 2025.

In March 2024, Amber FayeFox Kim, a 37-year-old trans-identifying male who previously went by Bryan Kim, was removed from the WCCW and transferred back to a men's prison after being busted having sex with a 25-year-old female inmate, along with other safety concerns. Kim, who was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his parents, filed a petition arguing that a transfer out of the women's prison to a men's prison was cruel punishment.

"Washington State must protect women inmates from the inherent dangers of incarcerating them with biological men," said Interim US Attorney Neil Floyd for the Western District of Washington. "Our Constitution protects the civil rights of every American, including women who are in prison and forced by the State of Washington to live with male inmates."

The Department of Justice said that under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), the Department "has the authority to investigate violations of prisoners' constitutional rights that result from a 'pattern or practice of resistance to the full enjoyment of such rights.'"
The Post Millennial reached out to Gov. Bob Ferguson's Office for comment.