Jailhouse Sexual Shaming Alleged in Lawsuit

A former female inmate at the Kauai Community
Correctional Center in Hawaii is suing the state’s department
of public safety and Neal Wagatsuma, the warden at Kauai. The
former inmate, Alexandria Gregg, is seeking class action status for
a lawsuit that alleges the warden practiced sexual shaming against
her and other female inmates. Via the
Garden Island:

“During open public meetings of male and female
detainees in front of KCCC staff members, defendant Wagatsuma
repeatedly forced plaintiff and other class members to stand at a
podium and speak about their private, intimate and traumatizing
sexual experience,” the complaint states. “Wagatsuma asked
plaintiff what kind of drugs she used, whether she had sex while on
drugs, and how many partners plaintiff previously had sex relations
with.”

It claims that the warden ordered Gregg to elaborate on previous
incidents of rape as well as sexual preferences. The public
questionings were videotaped by male detainees, the suit states,
while Gregg and other alleged victims were instructed to stand at
the podium during the “public shamings.”

“Defendant Wagatsuma would often film these public sexual shamings.
Typically, the detainees selected for filming were young attractive
women,” the complaint reads.

At one point, a male detainee asked Gregg questions about whether
she enjoyed certain sexual acts, which the warden did nothing to
stop, the suit claims.

The lawsuit claims other jail employees didn’t respond to
complains about the shaming out of fear of retribution. Hawaii
doesn’t have county jail facilities. Kauai houses both male and
female inmates, and touts,
among other services, its “substance abuse treatment” as well as a
“Lifetime Stand Program” which it describes as “a structured,
paramilitary regimen of marching, drill exercises, physical
training, education, and community outreach.” Corrections officers,
saving the world.