SIGNS: California Woman Awarded Multi-Million Dollar Settlement Over Prison Strip Search Assault

A court awarded a California woman $5.6 million over the disturbing encounter she underwent years ago as a visitor during a strip search at a prison. The nightmare unfolded in 2019 at a correctional facility in Tehachapi, California, where Christine Cardenas—who was visiting her incarcerated husband—was met with an appalling violation of her rights. CBS News reports the woman was subjected to a deeply humiliating and invasive ordeal while trying to visit her incarcerated husband. The traumatic incident occurred on September 6, 2019 after Cardenas made a four-hour trip to see her husband. According the the report, Cardenas was strip searched, forced to undergo drug and pregnancy tests, X-Ray and CT scans upon her arrival to the facility. She was then forced to do yet another degrading strip search, which was conducted by a male doctor, who she said sexually violated her. Her attorneys revealed that the strip search was based on a warrant, but it only permitted the search if an X-Ray revealed foreign objects. Yet, all of this was done despite no evidence of contraband being found in her body. To make matters worse, Cardenas was paraded in a “perp walk” in handcuffs, denied basic needs like water...