Toronto Teen Shares ‘Horrifying’ Experience of Repeated Strip Searches in Youth Jail

In a recent article published by the Toronto Star, a Toronto teen detailed his traumatic experience of being strip-searched four times in less than 48 hours while in custody at the Roy McMurtry Youth Centre in 2024. The searches, described as humiliating and unnecessary, are part of a class-action lawsuit challenging the routine strip-searching of youth in Ontario facilities. Despite regulatory changes aimed at limiting such practices, reports indicate that routine strip searches continue. The teen’s affidavit highlights the emotional toll and calls for an end to these unconstitutional practices. The case underscores ongoing concerns about the treatment of youth in detention and the need for systemic reform.

The routine strip-searching of children in Ontario youth custody should be ended—full stop. When strip searches are used as a default “procedure” on admission or return from court/visits, they cease to be safety measures and become a systemic violation of bodily autonomy and dignity, with predictable and lasting trauma impacts. Such invasive searches must be a last resort and must be justified by the youth’s individual circumstances, not institutional habit.

Ontario can and must do better: individualized risk assessments, less intrusive alternatives, transparent reporting, and real accountability - because children in state care are entitled to safety and basic human dignity.