For many people, having to appear in court before a judge for a criminal charge is already a humiliating experience. But imagine having to do so after spending days being denied necessary hygiene products and even pants. That is exactly what happened to a woman who appeared in Louisville court this past week after spending more than 70 hours in custody.

According to Jezebel, the woman was arrested on a bench warrant for failing to complete a diversion program for a first offense shoplifting charge in 2014. This charge, according to Judge Amber Wolf, was carried out excessively given the circumstances. The woman was kept in the same clothes she was arrested in days before and was denied a jumpsuit or feminine hygiene products the entire time.

“It’s a shoplifting charge, a first time shoplifting charge,” Wolf said after calling Metro Corrections Director Mark Bolton and being told the woman was potentially facing 75 days in jail. “No. We’re not giving her that.”

“I can tell you with a decent amount of certainty—not because of me—that this is probably going to go a little further than this in that it may be a media situation,” Wolf went on to tell Clark in the video captured of the event.

Judge Wolf, who was noticeably in shock, apologized to the woman for what she considers an extraordinary situation. However, the woman notified the judge that there are multiple women in similar situations and jail officials mostly corroborated her claim.

“This is pretty standard that when individuals are arrested, they remain in the clothing that they’ve been arrested in,” Durham said. “Especially for the first 72 hours.”

 

Photo Credit: YouTube