The wife of a California inmate will receive $5.6 million after being sexually violated during a strip search when she tried to visit her husband in prison, her attorneys said Monday.

After traveling four hours to see her husband at a correctional facility in Tehachapi, California, on Sept. 6, 2019, Christina Cardenas was subject to a strip search by prison officials, drug and pregnancy tests, X-ray and CT scans at a hospital, and another strip search by a male doctor who sexually violated her, a lawsuit said.

“My motivation in pursuing this lawsuit was to ensure that others do not have to endure the same egregious offenses that I experienced,” Cardenas said.

  • @some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
    link
    fedilink
    298 days ago

    She was told she had to pay for the hospital’s services and later received invoices for a combined total of more than $5,000. Despite no contraband being found in any of her belongings or her body, Cardenas was denied her visit with her husband.

    One of the prison officials asked her, “Why do you visit, Christina? You don’t have to visit. It’s a choice, and this is part of visiting,” according to Cardenas.

    Holy shit. You don’t have to visit your family in prison and if you do this is what we’ll do to you. Chilling.

    A lawsuit filed on behalf of 21 women incarcerated at the California Institution for Women in San Bernardino County includes allegations spanning from 2014 to 2020 of forcible rape, oral copulation, groping and threats of violence and punishment by officers, CBS Los Angeles reported.

    Earlier this year the federal Bureau of Prisons announced it will close a women’s prison in Northern California known as the “rape club” after an Associated Press investigation exposed rampant sexual abuse by correctional officers.

    We have such a barbaric society. We deserve all the terrible shit that happens to us for not stoping things like this. If we actually strove to protect the people who need it, we’d have a more harmonious population. We’re assholes.

    • @Crikeste@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      138 days ago

      Typical Americans: “if they’re in prison, they deserve it”

      Violent, disgusting Americans.

      • @stoly@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        88 days ago

        I can’t imagine why you were downvoted for this. You speak truth–prison in the US is not mean to rehabilitate, it’s meant to cause suffering. Families of inmates are collateral and take part in the suffering because, I guess, screw them for being related to a criminal.

        • @Malidak@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          38 days ago

          Just look around here. Most of the people here are part of the hate club. Constantly you see posts wishing the worst and horrible deaths on the people they disagree with or who commit crimes/do horrible shit/are rich, and they are being celebrated. ACAB, Trump should off himself, eat the rich, celebrating people drowning on their yachts… But hey, it’s not hate speech if you are on a moral high ground right? Most people here probably agree, that prisons are for suffering, just that so often the wrong people are suffering.

          America needs a functioning justice system and people abusing their power is horrible. But you need to fight it by enforcing a system and punishments according to a set of laws. There is no emotion or revenge in justice.

        • @Ragnarok314159@sopuli.xyz
          link
          fedilink
          38 days ago

          Had an army buddy get locked up. He knew he was guilty, fell in with the wrong people after separating. (1%er bikers)

          He finished 14 years and got out, then contacted me. I asked him why he never called or wrote, said how most of the time letters get shredded for “drugs” because they test them and in the process it destroys them - in or out. Letters to and from lawyers are never messed with.

          Also told me that often times it is cheaper to call the 1-900 sex lines than it is to call in prison.