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Former California Prison Warden and Guard Accused of Sexual Misconduct with Two Dozen Prisoners and Coworkers
by Jo Ellen Nott
On December 28, 2022, Acting Warden Mike Pallares referred a former Central California Women’s Facility guard to the Madera County District Attorney’s (DA’s) Office. A six-month investigation had uncovered accusations that Gregory Rodriguez sexually assaulted 22 prisoners at the state’s biggest lockup for women.
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More from this issue:
- With “Fox in Charge of the Henhouse,” Almost All Misconduct Accusations Against BOP Staff Result in No Discipline, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Tenth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Utah Jailers After Detainee’s Withdrawal Death, by David Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Riot and Escape at Nevada Prison Lead to Charges Against Four Guards, Firings or Resignations of Top Officials, by David Reutter
- In an Ominous Pattern, People Are Dying Once Transferred to Louisiana Prison, by Victoria Law
- Alabama County Ends Controversial Policy Using Women’s Pregnancies to Jail Them, by Ashleigh Dye
- Former California Prison Warden and Guard Accused of Sexual Misconduct with Two Dozen Prisoners and Coworkers, by Jo Ellen Nott
- California Governor Vetoes State’s Humane Solitary Confinement Bill, by Kevin Bliss
- Fifth Circuit: Texas Prison Property Rules Withstand Scrutiny Under Religious Free-Exercise Clause, by David Reutter
- Seventh Circuit Revives Indiana Prisoner’s Claim He Was Wrongfully Fired From Prison Commissary for Attending Religious Service, by David Reutter
- Illinois Supreme Court Orders State DOC to Fund Required Treatment and Housing for Sex Offender’s Conditional Release, by David Reutter
- “Acres of Skin” – Redux, by Gregory J. Dober
- SCOTUS Helps Revive Malicious Prosecution Claim Against Chicago Police Officers, by Kevin Bliss, David Reutter
- Fourth Circuit Reinstates North Carolina Prisoner’s Suit Over Flesh-Eating Infection, by David Reutter
- Eighth Circuit Affirms Conviction and Sentencing of Former Arkansas Sheriff for Assaulting Detainees, by Harold Hempstead
- $1.455 Million Settlement for Discrimination Against Black Minnesota Jail Guards Barred from Watching Floyd Killer, by David Reutter
- Pennsylvania Guards and Their Attorneys Spanked for Discovery Abuse in Prisoner’s Excessive-Force Suit, by David Reutter
- Pennsylvania County Commissioner Barred from DA’s Email After Own Prison Record Is Purged and Jail Key Copied, by Kevin Bliss
- Seventh Circuit Says Fourth Amendment Does Not Require Bail Hearing Within 48 Hours of Arrest, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Fifth Circuit Greenlights Suit by Louisiana Prisoners Held in Local Jails Beyond Release Date, by Matthew Clarke
- More Drugs Seized by Florida DOC During COVID-19 Lockdowns Than Before, by David Reutter
- Fifth Circuit: No Liability for Texas County that Improperly Relied on Polygraph to Imprison Released Sex Offender Additional 13 Years, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Federal Court Holds Illinois DOC in Contempt for Failing to Remediate Substandard Healthcare, by Douglas Ankney
- Second Circuit Reinstates N.Y. Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim, Finding Grievance Procedure ‘Unavailable’ in Mental Health Unit, by David Reutter
- $175,000 Paid by California County to Escaped Prisoner Mauled By K-9 During Recapture, by Keith Sanders
- After 13 Jail Deaths in Eight Months of 2022, California Sheriff Finally Reveals How They Happened, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- $87,000 Paid to Virginia Prisoner Kicked in Testicles by Guard, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Tenth Circuit Revives Kansas Prisoner’s Claim That He Was Denied Access to Court, by Anthony Accurso
- Alabama Supreme Court Says Prisoner Who Didn’t Return From Work Release Punishable Under Felony Escape Statute, by David Reutter
- Third Former Guard at Troubled Federal Prison in Brooklyn Sentenced After Retrial and Conviction for Raping Prisoner, by Chuck Sharman
- Ex-Felon “Dirtbags” Accused of Ordering Hit on Detainee at Florida Jail, But Questions Linger, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Seventh Circuit Sides With Muslim Prisoner, Bars Strip Search by Transgender Wisconsin Guard, by David Reutter
- Hospitalized California IST Defendants Entitled to Jail Conduct Credits, by Mark Wilson
- Judge Dismisses Suit Filed by California Town to Keep State Prison Open, by Keith Sanders
- Florida DA Reopens Cold Murder Case, Exonerates Wrongly Imprisoned Man, Finds Real Killers – and Gets Axed by Governor, by David Reutter
- 18 Stabbings in Less Than Nine Months at Oklahoma CoreCivic Prison, by Keith Sanders
- Hypothermia Kills Prisoner in Cold Pennsylvania Jail Cell, One of 17 Deaths Since 2019, by Jo Ellen Nott
- $14,000 Paid by California to Mentally Ill Prisoner Who Alleged Repeated Maulings by Guards, by Douglas Ankney
- Smuggling Ring Busted in Georgia Jail, 11 Arrested Including Four Guards and Former Nurse, by Jo Ellen Nott
- North Dakota Guard Fired After Suicide of Convicted Quadruple Murderer, by Justin McFatridge
- Massachusetts High Court: Lawmakers Haven’t Stopped Sheriffs From Taking Kickbacks from Jail Phone Calls, and Neither Will We, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- After Botched Lethal Injection, Alabama Will Execute Prisoner by Nitrogen Hypoxia, by David Reutter
- Elderly Prisoners Catch a Break on Medicare Part B, by Eike Blohm, MD
- Second Hunger Strike Met With Pepper Spray at Washington GEO Group Lockup Where ICE Detainees Allege Widespread Sexual Abuse, by Keith Sanders
- Another Prisoner Dies in Another Fire at Indiana Prison, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Alabama Prisoner’s Deliberate Indifference Claim Dies for Lack of Proper Affidavits, by David Reutter
- $350,000 Settlement Reached in Florida Prisoner’s Murder, by David Reutter
- Transgender Idaho Prisoner Who Won Gender Conforming Surgery Awarded Over $2.6 Million in Legal Fees, by Eike Blohm, MD
- Colorado’s Halfway Houses Returning Half of Residents to Prison, by Keith Sanders
- Parents Losing Children Because They Can’t Repay Foster Care Costs Incurred During Incarceration, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Second Circuit Affirms Qualified Immunity for Connecticut Cops who Sicced K-9 on Suspect in His Holding Cell, by Casey Bastian
- CoreCivic Still Accruing Fines for Short-Staffing Florida Jail Where Developmentally Disabled Teen Was Raped, by Ashleigh Dye
- Over $298,000 Awarded to Alabama Jail Detainee with Heart Disease After Guards, Nurses Ignored Firing Defibrillator, by David Reutter
- $857,500 Paid by California County for Jail Detainee’s Death, While Cellmate Who Beat Him Is Now in State Prison, by David Reutter
- Nebraska Assistant Warden Avoids Prosecution for Sexually Abusing Prisoner, Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge and Gets a Year in Jail, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Former PLN Editor Settles Suit Over Detention in Tennessee ‘Iron Man’ Cell, Gets 40-Year Prison Term for Vandalizing Nashville Jail, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- After Eleventh Circuit Says ICE Detainee Is Not “Prisoner” Subject to PLRA, He Goes Missing from Georgia, by David Reutter
- News in Brief
- GTL Ordered to Pay $18.675 Million in Attorney Fees and Costs in Prison Phone Class Action, by Anthony Accurso
More from Jo Ellen Nott:
- BOP Orders Prison Closures Amid Infrastructure Decay and Staff Shortages, Aug. 1, 2026
- Detainees Overpower Guards to Take Control of a North Carolina Jail, Aug. 1, 2026
- Three Detainees Die in Four Days at the Tarrant County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026
- Nevada Prisons Are Facing a Medical Crisis Due to Understaffing, Aug. 1, 2026
- The Exceptionally High Murder Rate Inside Maryland’s Prisons, Aug. 1, 2026
- Airconditioning Failure at Troubled ICE Detention Center in New Jersey, Aug. 1, 2026
- New York Closes Rikers Infirmary as Broader Jail Shutdown Plan Stalls, Aug. 1, 2026
- Ohio Jail Leaders Knew Cameras Were Broken for Four Years Before Fixing Them, July 1, 2026
- Rikers Island Captain Nicknamed “Terror of the Tombs” Indicted for Extortion, Wage Theft, July 1, 2026
- Multiple Detainees Escape from Dilapidated North Carolina Jail, July 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Warden Out, Nineteen Guards Administratively Charged in Maryland Prisoner’s Death, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Prison/Jail Murders, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Protect (Staff).
- At Least Three Guards Charged for Assaulting Two Massachusetts Prisoners, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Assaults on Staff, Wrongful Use of Force.
- $3 Million Settlement Reached with BOP for Attorney’s Fees in Sex Abuse Class-Action from Now-Shuttered California “Rape Club”, Aug. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Attorney Fee Awards, Settlements, Consent Decrees, Class Actions.
- GAO Report Finds Rampant Sexual Abuse in Federal Prisons, Most Cases Unresolved, Aug. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Prisoner-Prisoner Assault, DOC/BOP misconduct, Corrections Audits, Prison Rape Elimination Act.
- Ombudsman Report Finds Use of Force Misapplied in Contraband Search, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Failure to Treat, Body Cavity Searches, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas.
- Report Shows Pattern of Sexual Assaults in Santa Clara County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Failure to Protect (General).
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Summary Judgment Against Former Illinois Prison Guards Challenging Termination for Violating Use of Force Policy, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Summary Judgment, Employee Litigation, Vagueness/Overbreadth.
- $6.35 Million Paid for Ohio Jail Detainee’s Spinal Cord Injury Caused by Guard, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Malpractice, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements, Wrongful Use of Force.
- San Diego Guard Sentenced for Shoving a Shackled Detainee, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, False Statements/Perjury, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Court Records Reveal Alabama DOC Guard Ignored Stabbed Prisoner, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Medical Misconduct, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.

