Women made to expose genitals during prison 'training exercise' was legal demand, US court rules

Inmates 'required to stand naked, nearly shoulder to shoulder with eight to 10 other inmates', according to court papers

A “training exercise” for cadet prison guards that required female inmates to expose their genitals has been deemed legal.

The exercise took place at the Lincoln Correctional Centre in Illinois in 2011. A court of appeals delivered its ruling on the case earlier this week.

Inmates, according to court papers, “were required to stand naked, nearly shoulder to shoulder with eight-10 other inmates in a room where they could be seen by others not conducting the searches, including male officers.

“Menstruating inmates had to remove their tampons and sanitary pads in front of others, were not given replacements, and many got blood on their bodies and clothing and blood on the floor.

“The naked inmates had to stand barefoot on a floor dirty with menstrual blood and raise their breasts, lift their hair, turn around, bend over, spread their buttocks and vaginas, and cough.”

The searches, as noted by dissenting District Judge John Z Lee in a court filing, took place in a beauty shop with mirrored walls and in a bathroom with an open entry, meaning that other people, including “male and female cadets, correctional officers, and civilians” could see the searches.

Inmates, Judge Lee writes in the court document, were subjected to “derogatory comments and gestures about the women’s bodies and odours”, which included being called “dirty b******”, “f****** disgusting” and told that they “smell like death” and “deserve to be in here”.

Plaintiffs in the case maintained that the search violated their Fourth and Eighth Amendment rights. However, the court of appeals affirmed the district court’s ruling and deemed the exercise legal, invoking precedent and deeming the search a “visual inspection” but not a “physical intrusion”, as noted by The Washington Post.

The dissenting judge highlighted the fact that the search was conducted, suggested that such an exercise did not warrant “the same level of deference as a search conducted due to concerns over smuggled weapons or other contraband”.

The court of appeals’ decision comes as Los Angeles County agreed to settle a $53m lawsuit with former inmates over group strip searches, the Los Angeles Times reported.