Advocates Demand Ban on 'Degrading' Strip-Searches in Australian Prisons
Strip-searches in Australian prisons are described as "degrading and humiliating" by former inmates and should be banned, according to advocates. A new report from the Human Rights Law Centre highlights the widespread use of this invasive practice, which compounds trauma for many prisoners with histories of abuse.
Trauma and Ineffectiveness of Strip-Searches
Many inmates have experienced trauma or abuse, and invasive strip-searches by guards exacerbate this suffering, says a former prisoner. Sara, a survivor of sexual abuse who was incarcerated in a Melbourne women's prison over eight years ago, recalls strip-searches as routine and deeply distressing. "It was very degrading and humiliating. I felt like I was being violated and exploited," she told Guardian Australia. She noted that the power imbalance in the system makes compliance feel mandatory to avoid consequences.
Analysis by the Human Rights Law Centre finds that an average of 15,154 strip-searches are conducted in Australian prisons each month, with only 0.58% resulting in contraband being found. In youth detention centres, the rate is slightly higher at 4.32%, with 317 searches monthly. The data, obtained under freedom of information laws from six jurisdictions between 2021 and 2022, shows that most searches either find no contraband or lack records of findings.
Calls for Alternative Screening Methods
The report, released on Tuesday, calls for a ban on strip-searches, advocating for less invasive alternatives. Sohini Mehta, a senior lawyer at the HRLC, suggests using full-body scanning technology, similar to that in airports, along with trauma-informed and culturally informed screenings. "It's just entirely unnecessary. We have the modern technology," Mehta said, expressing bafflement at its limited use in prisons.
Advocates from groups like Formerly Incarcerated Girls Justice Advocates Melbourne (Figjam) have joined the campaign. Stacey, a Figjam member and survivor of child sexual abuse, described strip-searches as an abuse of power that re-traumatizes individuals. "Strip searching isn't something you ever get used to; it takes you back to all these past abuses," she said, criticizing the prison system for treating inmates as offenders rather than victims.
Disproportionate Impacts on Vulnerable Groups
The report labels strip-searches as "a gendered tactic of state violence" that particularly harms women in prison, many of whom have experienced sexual and family violence. It also notes disproportionate impacts on First Nations communities. For example, in the ACT in 2024, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women accounted for nearly half of all strip-searches of women. In Queensland from 2020 to 2021, over half of the 700 strip-searches in youth prisons involved First Nations children.
Mehta emphasized the disturbing nature of these findings, linking them to systemic racism and discrimination. "It's clear from the data and also other evidence that strip-searching has a disproportionate impact on people who are over represented in the criminal legal system," she said. The report urges policy changes to address these injustices and support trauma survivors in the prison system.
