He said youngsters are required to strip, then stand naked while a staff member examines them from head to toe.

Although they are never touched, girls are required to manipulate their breasts and boys their scrotums and sometimes their penises in front of the examiner, he said.

Furthermore, Mosman said, they are required to stand naked while the examiner goes over parts of their bodies that don't require their clothes to be off, such as their hair, mouths and limbs.

"The duration of this multi-step search, and the corresponding length of time in which a juvenile stands fully exposed and subject to inspection makes this search particularly demeaning," Mosman wrote. "The YCJDC strip searches are also, to put it charitably, astonishingly thorough."

Attorney Leonard Berman said Mosman's ruling against even the initial searches went further than the plaintiffs had asked.

"That was not argued by us," he said. "To frankly go off the menu and advocate for us is very uncommon and very exciting. It's surprisingly refreshing."

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