Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Massachusetts

I'm not sure if this is a civil rights law or constitutional law question. I want to know if it is legal for a prison to videotape an inmate being strip searched? The inmates are strip searched after visits. I understand that if you want a visitor than you will be searched after, but they recently discovered the searches were being videotaped. Do inmates have any reasonable expectation of privacy? There's no cameras in the bathrooms or showers. This is a men's facility, if that matters. Thanks


Asked on 9/08/10, 7:19 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Edward Hoffman Law Offices of Edward A. Hoffman

Inmates don't have the sort of reasonable expectation that would prevent a strip search, so I'm not sure they would have one that would prevent a videotaping. However, they surely do have one that would prevent the tapes from being shown to anyone -- especially women -- who didn't have a bona fide need to see them.

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Answered on 9/13/10, 8:16 pm


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