There are some experiences that stay in the body long after the moment has passed. For many individuals in correctional institutions, strip searches are one of those experiences, especially for those who have already lived through sexual abuse or assault.
This is something I’ve witnessed first hand.
We have the technology now to do better. To protect safety without causing harm.
I’ve started a petition to help bring awareness and change to this issue in Ontario.
If this speaks to you, I invite you to stand with me please read, sign, and share.

Many individuals who enter correctional institutions carry deep histories of trauma, including sexual abuse and assault. For these individuals, strip searches are not just a procedure, they can be a re-experiencing of past harm, triggering fear, shame, and emotional distress.
Having lived experience within the system, I have witnessed firsthand the impact these practices have on mental health and dignity. In a time where safer, more respectful alternatives exist through modern scanning technology, we must ask ourselves why such invasive methods are still being routinely used.
This petition is a call for change, one that honours both safety and humanity. It is a call to move toward practices that protect not only institutions, but the people within them.

Petition to End Routine Strip Searches in Ontario Correctional Institutions

To: The Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Whereas:
Strip searches within correctional institutions are a deeply invasive practice that can cause significant psychological harm and distress;

And whereas many incarcerated individuals, particularly women, have histories of trauma, including sexual abuse and assault, which can be retraumatized through the experience of strip searches;

And whereas the repeated use of strip searches can undermine an individual’s sense of dignity, safety, and mental well-being;

And whereas advancements in modern technology, including body scanning systems, now provide effective, less invasive alternatives for detecting contraband;

And whereas these alternatives can maintain institutional safety while significantly reducing harm to individuals in custody;

We, the undersigned, call upon the Government of Ontario to:

Eliminate the routine use of strip searches in correctional institutions across Ontario;
Implement the use of modern scanning technology as the primary method for contraband detection;
Ensure that any searches conducted prioritize dignity, respect, and trauma-informed practices;
Establish clear policies that limit invasive searches to exceptional circumstances only, with appropriate oversight and accountability.

Therefore, we respectfully urge the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to take immediate action to modernize correctional practices and protect the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of individuals in custody.

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