Naked inmates can sue Missouri jail, appeals court rules

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that a group of Missouri inmates can pursue a lawsuit over a jail policy that leaves them naked on laundry days.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a judge’s decision to dismiss the suit filed by former inmates at the Cole County Jail in Jefferson City.

“The laundry policy at the Cole County Detention Center leaves pretrial detainees naked, with only a bed sheet and a blanket for cover, every four nights for women and every two-to-three nights for men,” the appeals court wrote in Monday’s ruling. “During this time, guards and cellmates may see the detainees naked.”

The jail’s rules also do not allow inmates to cover the windows in their cells.

Attorneys for the jail argued that the policy was designed to promote “cleanliness and hygiene.”

The judge who dismissed the suit noted that the clothing deprivation occurred at night when they were not engaged in daily activities and the inmates were given a sheet and blanket to cover themselves with.

The judge found that the policy did not violate the inmates’ constitutional rights.

The appeals court on Monday disagreed.

The court found that not providing the inmates with clothing on those laundry days is more than a minimal deprivation. The court also found that jail officials had not provided a legitimate reason for the policy.

“Because the record reveals no legitimate objective behind this policy, it plausibly amounts to unconstitutional punishment,” according to Monday’s ruling.

This story was originally published January 17, 2017 at 1:08 PM with the headline "Naked inmates can sue Missouri jail, appeals court rules."