A woman who was allegedly forced to undergo a lengthy and traumatic strip search to visit her husband in prison, even though X-rays detected no foreign objects, was reportedly awarded $5.6 million in compensation on Monday.
“There is no reward that can completely heal the pain caused by sexual violation. (…) (Correctional officers should) treat visitors not as criminals, but with humanity,” the victim, Christina Cardenas, said through tears at a news conference Monday reported by Los Angeles Times.
It was to “ensure that others do not have to suffer the same flagrant violations” that she allegedly suffered in September 2019 that the woman allegedly filed a lawsuit against the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi and the Adventist Medical Center of Tehachapi, according to the American media.
That day, the woman had driven four hours to visit her husband Carlos Eugene Cardenas, who was in jail for armed robbery, when she was reportedly informed of a search warrant that allowed officers to conduct a strip search.
Except that according to the search warrant, an X-ray had to be taken first to confirm the presence of a foreign object in his body before a search of his body cavities could be carried out without his consent, according to the Times.
But without her consent, officers allegedly first forced her to undress and “squat over a mirror” before handcuffing her and taking her to a medical center, even though no contraband was detected.
She was then allegedly forced to undergo a pregnancy test, an X-ray that again showed no signs of any object, and finally a search by “unwanted and forced penetration” by a male doctor, despite the victim’s protests, the prosecution alleged according to the American media.
It was only when she returned to prison, after several long hours, that she was told that she would not be able to see her husband because his visit had been cancelled.
While the woman had initially hoped to obtain an injunction to completely end the practice of body searches of visitors, the case reportedly ended Monday with a $5.6 million settlement, according to the Times.
For its part, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has reportedly indicated that it has agreed to distribute a memo to its staff asking them to be “more protective” of visitors subjected to body cavity searches.
It is unclear whether any staff involved have been disciplined in the case.
