Maj. David Allen, administrator at the Somerset County Jail in East Madison, said strip-searches are done routinely on inmates entering the general population.

“We have a policy that anybody that goes inside our correctional facility to a general housing unit has to be strip-searched,” Allen said. “They take off each article of clothing, one by one, until they are completely nude. We search the articles of clothing and inspect their body head to toe and front to back to make sure there is no contraband hidden underneath their clothes or on their person.”

Someone arrested for drunken driving, a minor traffic violation or misdemeanor theft is not usually strip-searched. If the suspect later is placed in a general housing unit, the person is asked to sign a waiver giving permission for a strip-search. If the suspect refuses, he or she stays in a holding cell apart from the general population, Allen said.

At the Franklin County Jail in Farmington, administrator Doug Blauvelt said inmates being charged with violent crimes or on weapons or drug charges are strip-searched before going into the general population, for the safety and security of the facility, officers and other inmates.