Court Certifies Class-Action Suit Alleging Rampant Illegal Strip Searches in Prisons

Court Certifies Class-Action Suit Alleging Rampant Illegal Strip Searches in Prisons
Patches are seen on the arm and shoulder of a corrections officer in the segregation unit at the Fraser Valley Institution for Women during a media tour, in Abbotsford, B.C., on Oct. 26, 2017. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck
|Updated:
0:00

Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice has certified a class-action lawsuit alleging that Canadian authorities illegally strip searched federal inmates hundreds of thousands of times over three decades.

The statement of claim filed against the government accuses prison officials of inappropriate conduct, seeks an end to searches that are not authorized by federal law and seeks compensation for victims.