Prisons Overuse Strip Searches to Dehumanize People Like Me. End This Horrific Practice Now.

New York, where I was incarcerated, should respect the bodily integrity and human dignity of those it holds in prison, as should every state.

I remember the first time it happened while I was in the custody of the New York City Department of Correction. I followed their orders: Take all your clothes off, turn around and bend over, spread your butt cheeks. I still carry the sense of violation from that experience and thousands more.