Women prisoners
Credit: Common Dreams

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 […]

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