LARRY O’DELL
Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal appeals court in Virginia is considering whether jailers should be allowed to strip search people arrested and awaiting arraignment.
A three-judge panel of the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Wednesday on cases out of West Virginia and Maryland. A ruling is expected in a few weeks.
The Maryland case challenges the strip searches of people arrested on minor charges and detained in an area separate from the general jail population. A judge ruled in favor of Baltimore officials.
Two people arrested in West Virginia also lost their lawsuit challenging compulsory strip searches and physical delousing at regional jails.
Appeals court Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson said a 2012 Supreme Court decision went into great detail about the dangers posed by contraband brought into jails.
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