A lawsuit filed against the Saginaw County Jail is about to get even
some more legal firepower. A federal judge recently ruled the jail's
policy of stripping inmates is unconstitutional. Thursday we've learned
the American Civil Liberties Union may join the lawsuit. Terry Camp had
more. The policy of stripping unruly inmates was put in place in 1996.
It was done with the safety of detainees in mind. But this could end up
costing Saginaw County millions of dollars. "Being thrown in a jail
cell completely naked for a misdemeanor offense is not right. It's
unconstitutional," said Flint attorney Chris Pianto, who represents 22
plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Saginaw County. And a federal judge
agrees with Pianto. The plaintiffs claim they were in jail on minor
offenses, but were forced to strip naked, a Saginaw County Jail policy
in dealing with unruly detainees. "I represent a woman who claims that
while she was in the hole, she was there for three days -- completely
naked -- in her menstruation cycle," Pianto said. [more]