“It’s Sexual Assault. It’s Barbaric”: Strip Searching in Women’s Prisons as State-Inflicted Sexual Assault

Abstract

Rationale: In the era of the #MeToo movement, sexual assault has emerged from the shadows to become a dominant topic of public and scholarly conversation. Yet women in prison have largely been left out of these conversations, particularly as it relates to their experiences of being strip searched. Method: Five cisgender women were interviewed about their experiences being strip searched while imprisoned in Canada. Findings: Findings demonstrate that strip searching is a form of sexual assault. Women were unable to say “no” to being strip searched due to power imbalances and fear of serious consequences. Experiences of prior sexual victimization made being strip searched particularly harmful. Discussion: This study shows that structural violence occurring behind prison walls is a replication of structural violence occurring in the community. That strip-searching policies and practices are developed and implemented by the state necessarily means it is state-inflicted sexual assault. I theorize that strip searching is not understood as sexual assault because imprisoned women are relegated to a class of subhumanness for which humane treatment is not required. Implications: Implications for reducing the harms of strip searching are discussed, aimed at moving toward the abolishment of strip searching as a practice in women’s prisons.