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| Bill Would Prohibit Prison Officers Wearing Racist Insignia |
| By Gary Post-Tribune |
| Published: 03/10/2003 |
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Indiana prison officers would be barred from wearing racist insignias under a bill that passed the House last week. The bill by Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, would prohibit officers from wearing clothing, jewelry or tattoos with racial insignia. The original idea for the bill emerged two years ago, when inmates began to complain about a ring, worn by prison officers that appeared to have the initials KKK entwined in a series of ribbons that surrounded the stone. The state Department of Correction barred the ring and issued a new version without the questionable markings. 'They took steps to correct the problem, but they never addressed the whole issue of racial markings in the prison,' Smith said. A legislative study commission determined there were other problems with officers wearing racist material in the prison. Officers in downstate prisons were wearing tattoos to show their affiliation with a group called the Brotherhood, which was shown to be a white supremacist group, Smith said. The bill passed the House 90-7 and now moves on to the Senate. The handful of lawmakers who spoke against the measure said the General Assembly was taking on a job best left to prison administrators. 'We are not micro-managing. What we are doing is telling the DOC to address the problem but develop the actual policy,' Smith said. The options could include anything from requiring officers to cover tattoos with long-sleeves or bandages or have an offensive tattoo removed. 'It would be a matter of people would have to decide if they want to wear these type of markings or work for the state,' Smith said. |
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