From The CT Mirror:
Imagine that you are told to strip completely naked in front of a stranger. They have a camera, and you must reveal the private parts of your body to them. This is not something you want to do, yet you are not free to decline their request without risk of harm.
Would you consider that to be sexual violence? Take off your clothes. All of them. Bend over. Spread your butt cheeks. Cough. Cough louder.
If you are incarcerated, you will be strip searched often: when you are admitted into the facility, when you are returning to the facility from the hospital, when transferred from a new facility, when entering or returning from specialized housing units like restrictive housing or mental health housing, during prison shakedowns, after having contact visits with friends and family, meeting with your lawyer or a clergy member, and more. Importantly, you cannot freely consent, as the correctional officers carrying out the strip search have absolute power and authority over you. You cannot refuse without fear of backlash, as refusal likely results in a ticket to solitary confinement or forceful removal of your clothes. Continue reading
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