Stateville Prison Guard Reassigned After Forcing Visitor into a Bra

A conservatively dressed stenographer who visited Stateville Correctional Center recently for a deposition was turned away by guards and humiliated because she wasn’t wearing a bra.

Stephanie Battaglia explained why — she didn’t need to, and couldn’t, because she’d undergone a double mastectomy a decade ago. And she’d visited the prison many times before dressed the exact same way. Nevertheless, the guard and a supervisor sent her away, reports Chuck Goudie for ABC 7 Chicago’s I Team.

For obvious reasons, the prison wants people who visit inmates to adhere to a dress code. “All visitors must be dressed appropriately for a prison environment. Clothing must be in good taste. All visitors must wear underwear and female visitors must wear a bra,” the code states.

Yet the I Team did not see an even application of the policy.

The I-Team saw dozens of women pass through security to visit inmates. Some would argue not all of them were dressed “appropriately.”

Len Cavise is emeritus professor of law at DePaul University. He’s been to Stateville dozens of times and said the searches are arbitrary.

“You take the spectrum of possible searches and I’ve had experiences along all ends of that spectrum and my students have, too,” Cavise said. “I had one year where there was a cavity search of one of our students.”

Battaglia was accompanying an attorney to a conference room in the administration wing of the prison to meet with an official. She wouldn’t have been anywhere near prisoners. She filed a complaint with the Illinois Department of Corrections and the state Office of Executive Inspector General, according to Goudie’s report.

Nicole Wilson, Illinois Department of Corrections spokeswoman, issued a statement following ABC Chicago’s inquiries:

The employee involved in the incident has been reassigned and we are taking steps to ensure staff receives additional training so we can better assist visitors that require special accommodations.

The Department of Corrections has established rules and regulations that are designed to promote orderly operations within our facilities while protecting the safety and security of our guests, staff, and inmates. However, we understand there is sometimes a need for special accommodations.

We apologize to Ms. Battaglia for her experience at Stateville and because this has been brought to our attention, we will review and adjust our policies accordingly.