Based on scientific data and analysis, the report will document the impact of strip searches on incarcerated women. Professor Frigon's work is based on more than thirty years of research on the reality of women in detention and on correctional practices.
"What I have to do is convey these women's experiences to the judges," explains Professor Frigon. "For me, this is the very essence of academic research: to be able to translate the human experience in order to positively influence institutional actions," she adds.
Research shows that strip searches are intrusive interventions that can have significant effects on the individuals concerned. The notion of humiliation is frequently documented, particularly among incarcerated women. Certain situations can amplify this feeling. For example, having to undergo a strip search while menstruating, or in a context where the search is carried out immediately and unexpectedly, can reinforce the perception of a loss of control over one's own body.
The report also examines certain practices adopted in correctional facilities, including the growing use of body scanners as an alternative to strip searches. These technologies are sometimes presented as a way of reconciling security imperatives with respect for the dignity of incarcerated people.
In addition to the criminological analysis presented by Professor Frigon in her report, a psychiatrist will present another report on the trauma and psychological/psychiatric impacts associated with these practices.
Professor Frigon's commitment to this approach fully illustrates the mission of the Faculty of Social Sciences: to produce rigorous knowledge, rooted in reality, capable of enlightening institutions, fuelling social debate and contributing to a fairer, more humane world.