"They place you in a chair and you are completely naked" ACLU stops this horrible practice

[Liberal_in_LA]

My stomach and heart drops, when it’s close to my visitor's time to go, because I know that I have to get strip-searched in this horrible manner.

They place you in a chair and you are completely naked. I had the officer tell me "spread your pussy lips." Then I had one tell me to put my heels on the chair and use my hands to open my lips.

She told me to sit on the edge and spread my lips. I asked her how and she said with your hand so, I did and asked her like this then? She told me to open or spread my fingers because she could not see to view my lips good enough. She told me that I [had] to do better than that. I spread my fingers open and pulled my vagina open more and hoisted my legs up a little so, she could see. The procedure is dehumanizing in every way. Upon completion of the shakedown that felt close to a forced self-rape act.

https://www.aclu.org/invasive-search

ugh! Thank you ACLU! http://www.aclu.org/ They deserve a flood of donations for this

Michigan Women’s Prison Halts Degrading Routine Body Cavity Searches

New Policy States That Will Only Occur If There Is Suspicion Of Concealed Contraband

DETROIT – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Michigan confirmed today that the Michigan Department of Corrections has abandoned the routine implementation of a degrading body cavity search in which prisoners at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility (WHV) were forced to spread open their labia using their hands, often under unsanitary conditions and sometimes in full view of other prisoners.

The ACLU, along with a broad coalition of human rights, health and religious groups, sent a letter to Daniel Heyns, the head of the Michigan Department of Corrections, voicing concern about the searches and demanding a change to the department’s search policies. Over 60 prisoners had written to the ACLU, some as recently as last week, describing being subjected to a procedure in which they were forced to remove all of their clothing and use their hands to spread open their vaginas as a prison guard watched. The searches were conducted every time the prisoners met with visitors, prompting some to avoid visiting with family members to avoid the search.

“There was no reason to make this incredibly invasive procedure part of the routine strip search,” said Mie Lewis, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Women’s Rights Project. “The new policy eliminates the worst aspects of the body search, helping to preserve these women’s dignity while maintaining a safe prison environment.”

“Many women in the prison population have been victims of sexual abuse, so it was very concerning that they were being asked to expose themselves in such a manner whenever they had a visitor,” said Kary L. Moss, executive director of the ACLU of Michigan. “We’re glad the Department of Corrections recognizes that prisoners should not be denied their basic human rights when they’re incarcerated.”

http://www.aclu.org/womens-rights/michigan-womens-prison-halts-degrading-routine-body-cavity-searches

[saras]

1. "There was no reason to make this incredibly invasive..." kind of naive, aren't they?

close to a forced self-rape act.
degrading
incredibly invasive

Those are perfectly good reasons...


...depending on your philosophy of crime and prisons.

America is going to have to have a serious talk about what prisons are supposed to do, and how you tell if they are succeeding. But you can't punish and rehabilitate at the same time, they're mutually exclusive.

[Zax2me]

2. At least someone is addressing this issue.

Glad that these people are speaking up - and being heard, by someone.