http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/03/16/....html?hpt=Sbin


(CNN) -- The U.S. Justice Department is suing the state of California and Gov. Jerry Brown because prison authorities required a Sikh prison inmate to cut his beard.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday on behalf of Sukhjinder Basra, an inmate at prison in San Luis Obispo in central California.
It said that the requirement violated the man's right "to practice his religion" under the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLIUPA).
In the Sikh religion, which originated in northwestern India, unshorn hair is an article of faith.
The Justice Department said the suit followed a probe "that revealed that California's inmate grooming policy substantially burdens the rights of an inmate to practice his Sikh faith. "
"The rights guaranteed by the Constitution extend to all people in the United States," said Andre Birotte Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. "By protecting those rights -- even for those incarcerated -- we strengthen those rights for all."
The state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was also named in the suit.
RLUIPA, which became law in 2000, protects the religious freedom of people "confined to institutions such as prisons, mental health facilities and state-run nursing homes," the Justice Department said.

 

If he was so glued to his religion then what is he doing in jail? I would be willing to bet that what ever his crime was it was also against his religion (but I'm guessing on that one).

Good old left coast, pick and choose your laws.

 

I could not give a rats *** about what religion he is, he did the crime now he does the time. If that means he cuts his beard......TOUGH!!! Those are the regulations!!!

 

Seriously, I agree with Agent.

If you going to come to our country and be a DBAG and mess up then your going to jail. If you have to cut your smelly beard off thats your own problem. And to make it even worse, now CA has to spend the little money we have on an attorney.

D

 

If prison regulations call for a hair cut and he was legally prosecuted under the judicial system, he must follow them.

 

Unfortunately the prisoners rights have morphed into something larger than they should be, due to the US being a civilized country.

They can have all the comforts of home and all the rights, due to being a citizen.
Why is it a felon only looses a few rights once out ( at least that is what I understand , never looked it up to be 100% sure, don't plan on going there ) ?
My thought, while in prison you get the right to not be beaten for no reason, and relatively clean drinking water. Toss in the not getting raped part, and that is about it. Sorry I think the punishment should be punishment, not a paid vacation ( toss in a bit of work to support yourself ).
Maybe if prison were a bit tougher, there would not be the revolving door for some inmates. Some of the TV shows on prison make it look like a college dorm.
Want to take classes, clean toilets & floors to pay for it.

You want to practice your beliefs unrestricted, should have thought of that one prior to armed robbery or the B&E that got you there in the 1st place.
Maybe a few more trips to your house of worship before the B&E would have kept you out of there, and you could have kept your beard what ever length you wanted.

My religion does not allow for us to wear orange ( Halloween you know, the devil's holiday ), would I get a pass on the jump suit ?

 

My religion does not allow me to be confined to a space for any length of time. Guess you can't punish me for my crimes.

 

Yeah he gave up his rights by going to jail. **** this ****.

 

It's prison you should forfeit all your rights.

 

That only works in Maricopa County, AZ.

Inmates have too many rights in this country.

 

If this tool did not want to have his beard cut off he should not have broken the law and got himself tossed into a California prison. The End.

Prisoners should have very few rights. They should be fed and kept safe from harm as much as possible and that is it. If you landed yourself in jail you work for the rest of us that follow the law not the other way around.

 

this.

 

Surely this could be a contradiction of terms? How can a sikh be american? Its not a native religion of the country by any means. Surely IF he is a citizen then he HAS to abide by the rules of his new home otherwise he is hardly an American.

 

I am a former correctional officer and I am fairly certain they cannot make him cut his hair or his beard at all. At least in the state of Montana. Sure it is against the rules and regulations and he has to cut his hair or beard to be part of general population, however if he so chooses he can keep his long hair or beard and be placed in solitary confinement until he chooses to comply with the rules. Pretty simple choice if you ask me. He is just trying to skirt the rules.

Additionally to those who think the prison system is too gentle on the prisoners and think it should be rougher... Have you ever been inside a prison? Have you ever seen anything more than what you are spoon fed by the media? I can assure you that it is no easy time in any prison? What do you say to the studies that show that the more violent prisons have the highest rate of return criminals? How about states like Montana and Colorado where they take a pro-active aproach, teach them a skill and educate them (if they so choose) and have the lowest rates of repeat offenders?

It didn't click for me until I actually worked there. I too thought they should be tougher, thought they shouldn't get luxuries like cable tv (paid for by the inmates themselves through funds from the phone system and donations). But it didn't take long to learn that it is impossible to control the behavior of someone who literally has nothing to lose. Give them something, tv, some small freedoms, crafts time, etc. and when they start misbehaving you can take that away. Believe me it is a great motivator. Plus it has the added benefit of making the prisons a much safer place to work. More tv time means less gang time (generally).

 

I should add that I am no thug hugger...... They have far more rights than the officers out there and its sad. I feel no sympathy for any of them and out of the 1500+ I supervised I may have found 1 or 2 decent human beings in the entire group. The rest are exactly where they should be.