The bureau today has more than 10,000 female employees, but women say little has changed for those who dare to speak up. “Once you go through it, you’re pretty much blackballed from the government,” said Quantina Ponder, a correctional officer in Miami whose harassment complaint against a high-ranking officer was upheld in 2015. “I know if it’s any kind of promotion or anything that I work hard for, I’ll probably never get it because of my situation.”

In May 2017, the House Oversight Committee opened an investigation into the agency, writing that despite continuous allegations of sexual misconduct, “the BOP continued to award bonuses to top administrators.”

Prison officials declined requests for interviews. In an emailed statement, the agency said it would not discuss individual cases, but “allegations of misconduct are taken seriously” and may be referred to the Office of Internal Affairs or the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General for investigation.

“We are committed to ensuring a safe workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment and dedicated to the principles of equal employment opportunity,” the agency said.

In 2017, the Bureau of Prisons agreed to pay $20 million to female employees at the Coleman prison complex in Sumter County, Fla., more money to each plaintiff than any other Title VII gender discrimination settlement of the past decade. A judge found that, among other problems, managers had routinely ignored complaints about masturbation by inmates in front of female employees, known in prison slang as “gunning.” Women at Coleman had learned to avoid areas known as “gun ranges.”

One of the more than 135 women who provided testimony said it happened in the hallway, the shower and the activity room. “I probably saw 25 to 30 inmates masturbating during this one shift,” she said. Another affidavit described two female officers left alone with 70 inmates, several of whom took out their penises. When the women called for backup, no one came.

“It was the most humiliating and embarrassing incident I had ever been through in my life,” one of the women said. “I was terrified.”