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| US inmates segregated 10 years for long hair |
| By etaiwannews.com |
| Published: 12/08/2009 |
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Next week will mark a decade that at least six Rastafarian inmates have been held in segregation in Virginia prisons for refusing to cut their hair. Virginia Department of Corrections instituted a policy on Dec. 15, 1999, that requires men to cut their hair above the shirt collar and bans beards, goatees and long sideburns. The Rastafarian faith urges followers to let their hair grow unbridled. Department spokesman Larry Traylor confirmed that at least six inmates have been in segregation for 10 years but said a total number was not available. The policy, which has been upheld by the courts, outlaws hair styles and beards that "could conceal contraband; promote identification with gangs; create a health, hygiene or sanitation hazard; or could significantly compromise the ability to identify an offender." Inmates who refuse to comply will remain in segregation, according to the policy. Inmates in segregation are isolated in a small cell, allowed out for three showers and five hourlong recreation periods a week. Segregated inmates cannot participate in recreational, educational or rehabilitative treatment programs. Read More. |
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