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| Inmates say they had to take drug test naked |
| By Times-Dispatch |
| Published: 02/07/2005 |
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At least a dozen inmates at the Greensville Correctional Center in Virginia were allegedly made to strip naked for drug tests two weeks ago. In letters made available to The Times-Dispatch, five inmates who said they were subjected to Jan. 27 urine tests complained they were humiliated and that they were told if they did not comply with orders to remove their clothes they would be punished. "I think that's outrageous. Is this Abu Ghraib come to Virginia?" asked Jenni Gainsborough, director of the Washington office of Penal Reform International. Larry Traylor, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Corrections, said in an e-mail that "the matter is under investigation. I can verify that we have received one inmate complaint." Asked why such a search was conducted, Traylor said, "We do not know the reason at this time, but it is an isolated issue." Gainsborough said she could not think of "of any justification for doing it at all . . . nor have I heard of it happening anywhere else. It's completely against any kind of international standards for the treatment of prisoners. "You're not supposed to humiliate or degrade and that sounds like what that was all about," she said. Greensville, located near Interstate 95 about 20 miles north of the North Carolina line, is the state's largest prison with approximately 3,000 inmates. Traylor said that department policy stipulates that any inmate, employee, or visitor who enters a prison "shall be subject to a complete search, including a strip or body cavity search provided there is real suspicion of the possibility of introduction of contraband into that institution." The policy on "Inmate Substance Abuse Testing, Treatment and Sanctions," allows the test area and the inmate to be searched immediately before the specimen is produced to reduce the possibility of substitution, dilution, or adulteration, Traylor said. Tests may be random, unannounced and at any time, he said. Normal procedure allows a sample to be provided under the direct observation of a staff member of the same gender. He said no disciplinary action has been taken, but added the matter is still under investigation. |
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