ROCHESTER, N.Y. — This week on Rochester in Focus, Lynette Adams and Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean talked with multiple women who said they’ve been mistreated when visiting loved ones at New York State prisons. The interviewees told us that the body scanners misidentified items such as tampons, contraceptive devices or medical equipment as contraband, leading to suspensions. A new bill introduced in the State Senate establishes protocols for the use of body scanners in state prisons.
The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has used the scanners over the past year to detect contraband on visitors.
Interviews
News10NBC Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean spoke with two women in our area who’ve had similar experiences. Susan Fowler was denied entry to see her son after the body scanning, and Mary Kay Hargather was accused of contraband in another incident.
Samantha G. is a Syracuse business owner who said this went on for nine months because the scanner detected a tampon she was wearing…