Strip-search procedures have been changed at the Idaho Correctional Institution in Orofino, settling a lawsuit against the state filed by two inmates and the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Idaho attorney general's office came to an agreement with inmates Letcher R. Powell and Randy W. McKeown and the ACLU to dismiss a civil complaint filed in U.S. District Court last November.But Deputy Attorney General Tim McNeese said the state was not acknowledging any problem at the Orofino prison.
According to the settlement, the state "does not admit to any fault, wrongdoing or liability . . . . This settlement is entered into solely to avoid the cost and time of litigation of the plaintiffs' claims."
Powell and McKeown initially asked for $100,000 in damages, alleging they were victims of "humiliating" strip searches that violated their constitutional rights.
The agreement calls for blinds in certain search areas and adjusting Department of Corrections' search policies to define types of searches and when they are to be conducted.