US shuts down prisons amid scrutiny over sexual abuse and crisis of suicides

Bureau of Prisons closes California facility and suspends operations at six others as rights activists call for clemency

The US Bureau of Prisons (BoP) announced on Thursday it was permanently closing a California women's prison plagued by staff sexual misconduct scandals, and suspending operations at six other federal institutions.

The shutdowns come as the federal agency is facing intensifying scrutiny surrounding guards' rampant sexual abuse of incarcerated residents, a crisis of suicides and preventable deaths across its prisons and reports of severe medical neglect.