"As a result ... the decision [has been made] to eliminate the toilets, and ... procedures must be developed to accommodate inmates who find it necessary to use a toilet during their workday. Obviously, with no toilets on level 3 [where the prisoners work, they] must switch down to level 2 [where prisoners' cells and toilets are located]. Therefore, the following procedures have been established: ...

"- Inmates will be allowed to go to level 2 to use a toilet at their request ...

"- An inmate who makes such a request will proceed to level 2, directly to his room and then be locked in for the remainder of the work shift, be it the a.m. or the p.m. work shift. If [he makes] this request during the a.m. shift [he] will be allowed to return to [his] program assignment in the p.m.

"- Inmates will be allowed to exercise this privilege [italics added, ed] under the [usual] general frequency parameters ... Abuse of this privilege may result in termination from the work program.

"- The inmate restrooms on level 3 are restricted to only one inmate occupying them at one time. Violation of this restriction will result in ... discipline.

"- Permanent screens will be installed on the urinals on the level 3 restrooms to prevent the possibility of small tools or other objects from being flushed down them.

"- The toilets are to be physically removed or covered and the sewer pipe capped to eliminate accidental use."

STRIP CELLS

"All accommodations provided for the use of prisoners and in particular all sleeping accommodations shall meet all requirements of health ... The sanitary installations shall be adequate to enable every prisoner to comply with the needs of nature when necessary and in a clean and decent manner. Adequate bathing and shower installations shall be provided so that every prisoner may be enabled and required to have a bath or shower ... at least once a week. ... Prisoners shall be required to keep their persons clean, and to this end, they shall be provided with water and with such toilet facilities as are necessary for health and cleanliness." MINRULE, Part 1: items 10, 12, 13 and 15]

JRB, Limon, Colorado

"I have worked in LCI's [Limon Correctional Institute] segregation building as [a] porter since August 1987 and have observed the following:

Ten to twelve prisoners cuffed and shackled for 24 hours per day in ... strip cells. (These are segregation cells [in] which they turn the water off and cover the toilet with plastic and tape.) They keep the door open, video[tape] all that occurs and have a guard on duty to watch 24 hours a day. Many of the guards are female. They continue this until the prisoner has at least five bowel movements."

RS, Stark, Florida, writing for Florida prisoners

"Two young black prisoners were transferred here and put into strip cells (In strip cells the prisoner is in the nude and there is no bedding. There is only the concrete floor.) One was beaten and maced twice a day for several days. Guards came from other wings as if they were participating in an old fashioned lynching."

WSK, Program for Aggressive Mentally Ill Offenders (PAMIO),Texas

After having showered I was ... placed in a 'strip cell' (which is just a cell with the toilet water turned off) without a stitch of clothing nor a 'security' or 'suicide' blanket. This was early March and it [was] quite cold. ... I was left like that for four days I could not sleep and could only stay above hypothermia by sitting upright on the toilet ... with my legs crossed ... to keep them off the concrete floor. I saved my paper sacks my sandwiches came in so I could put them on my feet ... attempting to warm myself up a bit."

RANDOM SEARCHES

QF and JB, East Jersey State Prison, New Jersey - written as representatives of 4Dn Wing of the prison

"Complaint on Random Urine Analysis Procedure: "... Inmates are ... forced to totally strip all clothes and place both their hands behind their backs and the officer takes the urine bottle and places it around the head of the penis. This procedure is humiliating and not ... in the standards."

SM, Clallam Bay Correction Center, Clallam Bay, Washington

"I presently have a lawsuit [against] this prison system for placing me in a strip cell absent all physical clothing, bedding materials, hygiene materials and heat, exposed to extreme cold temperatures for six of ten days and denied water for the first three days."