Motorists can be strip searched over false allegations of unpaid parking tickets, the US Supreme Court ruled yesterday. A narrow 5 to 4 majority of justices held that it is more important for prison facilities to maintain security than to allow individuals charged with the most minor of infractions to avoid humiliation.
New Jersey resident Albert Florence was was making monthly payments on a civil fine and briefly fell behind in 2003. A warrant was issued for his arrest. Even though Florence promptly corrected the situation by paying within a week, the warrant improperly remained on his record. In 2005, a state trooper pulled Florence and his wife over in Burlington County and proceeded to arrest him based on what he saw on the computer readout. Florence was held for six days at the Burlington County Detention Center before being transferred to the Essex County Correctional Facility.
Florence was forced to strip and was blasted in a shower with a delousing agent. Guards then performed a visual inspection of his body cavities. A day after being admitted to the Essex County jail, the charges were dropped and Florence was released.
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