A California woman has been awarded $5.6 million after enduring a traumatic and invasive strip search while attempting to visit her incarcerated husband. Christina Cardenas was subjected to multiple searches, including drug and pregnancy tests, X-rays, and CT scans, during her visit to a Tehachapi correctional facility on September 6, 2019. Despite no contraband being found, a male doctor performed a second strip search that left her feeling sexually violated.
Cardenas filed a lawsuit, stating her goal was to prevent others from suffering the same treatment. “My motivation in pursuing this lawsuit was to ensure that others do not have to endure the same egregious offenses that I experienced,” she said.
The $5.6 million settlement will be paid by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and other defendants, including two correctional officers, a doctor, and Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley Hospital.
Despite a warrant specifying a strip search should only occur if X-rays revealed contraband, no such evidence was found, yet Cardenas was still subjected to invasive procedures. She was also handcuffed, denied basic needs like water and bathroom access, and humiliated by being forced to endure a “perp walk.”
Cardenas’ attorneys revealed that one officer even attempted to intimidate her, questioning her reasons for visiting her husband, implying such treatment was “part of visiting.”
This incident is part of a larger issue of misconduct in California prisons, with sexual abuse being a widespread problem. A recent U.S. Justice Department investigation exposed systematic abuse in two state-run prisons, and earlier this year, a notorious women’s prison was closed after being dubbed the “rape club” due to rampant abuse.
In addition to the financial settlement, CDCR will now implement stricter protocols to protect visitors’ rights during strip searches, ensuring transparency and compliance with search warrants.