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 or bathroom access and sent bills totaling more than $5,000 for the hospital services she never requested. And after all that, her visit with her husband was still denied.

One prison official reportedly had the audacity to tell her, “Why do you visit, Christina? You don’t have to visit. It’s a choice, and this is part of visiting.” Her attorney, Gloria Allred, slammed the statement as intimidation aimed at discouraging Cardenas from visiting her husband.

In her statement, Cardenas said her motive behind the lawsuit was rooted in protecting others, rather than solely just herself.

“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.

Of the $5.6 million settlement, $3.6 million will be paid by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), with the rest coming from two correctional officers, a doctor and local hospital involved in the search.

The settlement also requires the CDCR to introduce new policies to protect visitors from excessive searches and violations, ensuring that no one else endures what Cardenas went through.

Cardenas’ case highlights the growing concerns over misconduct in California’s prison system. The U.S. Justice Department has already launched investigations into allegations of sexual abuse in two women’s prisons in the state. Last year, Governor Gavin Newsom pledged $20 million to overhaul one of the state’s most notorious correction facilities, borrowing rehabilitation practices from countries such as Norway in the process.