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Naked Jail Inmates Win Lawsuit

By TChris, Section Inmates and Prisons
Posted on Thu May 26, 2005 at 11:58:31 AM EST
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by TChris

The Saginaw County (Michigan) Jail isn't a good place to be held after an arrest for a traffic violation. Just ask Linda Rose, who was arrested for drunk driving.

Linda Rose says she spent three hours crouched in the corner of a concrete cell at the Saginaw County Jail, shivering and sobbing, after deputies stripped her of her clothes and left her naked in front of a surveillance camera.

With good reason, Rose says that the jailers stripped her of her dignity as well as her clothing. At least dozens (and possibly hundreds) of other inmates experienced the same humiliating treatment at the hands of Saginaw County jailers. The County contended that stripping prisoners was necessary to assure that they didn't hang themselves. Why a drunk driving arrest would provoke suicidal behavior is difficult to explain, and the jailers had no particular reason to believe that the inmates who were forced to strip were suicidal. Some of them were naked for days.

A federal judge hearing a lawsuit on behalf of the detainees didn't buy the County's argument. The judge ruled that the routine practice of stripping inmates and forcing them to remain naked in a cell violates their constitutional rights. To be determined: how much money to award the class action plaintiffs as a result of the County's unlawful behavior.

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    Naked Jail Inmates Win Lawsuit | 8 comments (8 topical)
    Re: Naked Jail Inmates Win Lawsuit (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:21 PM EST
    Welcome to Abu Ghraib America. Is this not what those soldiers in Iraq were going to jail for? Will this horrible practice stop now I wonder..it seems like the jail used it more as a punishment. Too bad they didn't get pictures.

    Re: Naked Jail Inmates Win Lawsuit (none / 0) (#2)
    by DawesFred60 on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:21 PM EST
    I know the feeling, I was hit by a cop car, i was not at any-kind of fault. The cop and me had words and the cop beat the hell out of me, i was arrested for no crime i was stripped beaten and placed in a cell with the doors opened, next to a hallway and the door was opened to the outside, love that? I did not make for the door, so 2 hour went by and the cop walked into the cell and asked me if i was sorry for what i did to him? I said "%$%$$#" after the next beating i was take to the real jail and was booked for not obeying orders of a cop who attacked me. I love it. I was not drunk on drugs not speeding, the cop made a report that made the news on tv, on the radio, I did nothing against the cop but tell him off, and the beating did not have to happen, but the cop had fun doing it, so I understand real well what the law is and is not, humiliating treatment is normal inside our system and its done to millions of people, good people bad people old people young people, the innocent and the wrong doers, totally outrageous but normal as can be, inside the land of freedom. rape anyone?..hey oneworld you can say that once more "abu ghraib amrerica"..know that place real well. By the way don't tell a cop off, get a lawyer to do that in court, some times it works if you have the money. money talk's and we all know what comes next don't we?

    Re: Naked Jail Inmates Win Lawsuit (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:21 PM EST
    And that, Fred, is why society must have ZERO tolerance for bad cops, ZERO... They are public servants hired to protect society. When abuse members of the society paying them for protection, they must go...no if's and's or but's... If you walked into work and punched out your boss, could you bring "character references" to prove you were having a bad day and were essentially a good employee, or would your a#s have hit the sidewalk before you could open your mouth? No second chances, no "he's a good guy..." A cop who steps over that line, whatever good he's done before, has to go... No cop has the right to slap around anyone...period...

    Re: Naked Jail Inmates Win Lawsuit (none / 0) (#4)
    by BigTex on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:22 PM EST
    Sorry to hear what happened to you Fred, but you know better than to tell off a cop. That doesn't excuse his action, but cooler heads would have kept the bad situation from getting worse. One good way to prevent such scenairos (other than showing respect to the LEOs, they should get it even when they are being an ass) is to require that they have dashboard cameras running all the time, not just when overhead lights or siren is activated.

    Re: Naked Jail Inmates Win Lawsuit (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:22 PM EST
    Are you serious, PP? Say it ain't so... Have you forgotten that cops are have no authority other than granted to them by society, and that a cop who abuses any member of society is scum beneath one's shoes? They used to hang slaves for striking their masters in self defense...and you want to excuse cops who strike their oath-bound to protect citizens? Are you nuts? Perhaps you'd like to stroll down the road to a police state, where your views will be welcomed by the authorities...

    Re: Naked Jail Inmates Win Lawsuit (none / 0) (#6)
    by Johnny on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:23 PM EST
    I tend to agree with Blagh here... But back to the point, to what end does humiliating persons not even convicted of a crime serve? These people are not even proven guilty, and the normal psychopaths running jal cells and prisons seem to get off on acting like irrational terrorists! This actually makes me chuckle a tiny bit, because I know some wrong-winger will come in here spouting off about this or that or the other "proven, reliable" technique, or "a few bad apples" or "better training would have prevented la la la la" crapola... BS. This crap is normal in law enforcement. Humiliation and intimidation are two weapons that authorities love to use, from the kindergarten teacher to the LAPD to some small town hick sheriff with an inferiority complex and a big a$$ hat. Whoever came up with this asinine strip 'em naked policy should be fired, at the least, and I would like to see all of the men and women who endorsed and followed this policy get on public TV, preferably national, and say "I made people strip naked and locked them up before they were convicted of a crime. I watched the naked females on CCTV. I claimed it was for "suicide prevention". I apologize to the world, and I will never work in anything resembling law enforcement again." LOL like that is gonna happen. The fascist PD will pay their little fine, with a condescending grin, and with fingers crossed behind their backs, will say "I promise to be better in the future, yessir!"

    Re: Naked Jail Inmates Win Lawsuit (none / 0) (#7)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:23 PM EST
    More barbarism from so-called "justice" systems. We are no better than Thailand, though we like to think we are.

    Re: Naked Jail Inmates Win Lawsuit (none / 0) (#8)
    by BigTex on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:25 PM EST
    Did you even read the post, or only remember what you wanted to from the post? Blagh you said "and you want to excuse cops who strike their oath-bound to protect citizens?" But I clearly stated "[t]hat doesn't excuse his action" No I don't want to excuse their actions, but by the same token, mouthing off to a cop isn't a bright idea at any time. The stray time I get pulled over for a traffic violation it's yes sir, no sir, and it's been years since I've gotten more than a be careful. Show LEOs respect and save yourself the trouble. --BigTex

    Naked Jail Inmates Win Lawsuit | 8 comments (8 topical)