Violent haircut leads to $75,000 settlement

A female inmate whose hair extensions were forcibly removed while in the Frederick County jail has received a $75,000 settlement.

The Frederick News-Post reported Tuesday that inmate Sherrelle Showell’s claim had been settled, citing documents it obtained through a Maryland Public Information Act request.

Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins tells the News-Post that the settlement was appropriate and that officers used excessive force. He says Showell was handcuffed and placed in leg irons and a restraint chair, and that officers used pepper spray on her. He says her hair was cut “very close to the scalp.”

Removal of hair extensions is standard practice at the jail. But Jenkins says the November 2007 incident with Showell was the only time extensions have been removed by force.