An El Paso woman, April Lacey, alleges she was the victim of repeated sexual assaults by staff at a Fort Worth federal prison, detailing her ordeal in a lawsuit filed in federal court this week. Lacey, who served time at FMC Carswell from late 2014 through late 2021, is accusing a former prison recreation specialist of raping her twice during the last part of her stay, with the lawsuit noting the use of authority and the threat of retaliation to silence her, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
"It's not right for the staff to prey on us, being raped was not part of my sentence," Lacey said in a statement. Lacey went on to explain her decision to take legal action, emphasizing her desire to prevent similar abuses from occurring to other women at the institution. FMC Carswell, the nation's sole federal medical prison for women, houses inmate populations particularly susceptible to maltreatment, a responsibility that, as per the allegations, has been grievously mishandled in recent years, as per The Messenger.
A deep-dive investigation in 2022 exposed a pattern of systemic sexual abuse and cover-ups at FMC Carswell, with a federal report stating that the facility had more staff-reported sexual abuse cases than any other federal women's prison between 2014 and 2018. Representatives for Carswell did not respond to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit.
Legal representation for Lacey, including Regina Powers of Bedlock Levine & Hoffman, based in New York, condemned the facility for its apathy towards sexual violence rights, Powers said, "FMC Carswell has repeatedly failed to address sexual violence that staff members inflict on incarcerated women," claiming that the lack of action from the institution both enables and shields sexual predators, ensuring continuity in such abuse. The lawsuit, which was lodged in the El Paso division of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, also names the United States government and the individual recreation specialist involved, though it has not been slated for hearings just yet, according to The Messenger.
