In a May 2001 letter to the Director of the California Department of Corrections (CDC), Steve Cambra,  the human rights group Amnesty International expressed "serious concerns" about the inadequate medical care provided incarcerated women and ongoing reports concerning sexual misconduct on the part of male medical staff.

In particular, the letter highlights the tragic deaths of four women who recently died at the Central California Women's Facility, the routine delays in medical treatment, the role of Medical Technical Assistants and the need for independent oversight over the CDC's medical delivery system.

Amnesty International also made several strong recommendations including more aggressive recruitment of female doctors so as to offer women the option of being examined by someone of their own gender, a permanent and independent audit process to ensure that medical standards are monitored, and the demand that prison medical staff should be independent of the penal authorities.