By BJC Staff Reports
The U.S. Supreme Court announced March 3 that it will hear a case regarding whether a prison grooming policy requiring inmates to shave violates their religious freedom rights under the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
The case involves Gregory H. Holt, a practicing Muslim serving a life sentence in Arkansas. Holt says he has a religious obligation to maintain a one-half-inch beard, but the Arkansas Department of Corrections has a policy prohibiting facial hair other than neatly trimmed mustaches. According to the petitioner, the department already has an exception for inmates with certain dermatological conditions to maintain one-quarter-inch beards.
The state said the purpose of the policy is “to provide for the health and hygiene” of prisoners, while also minimizing opportunities for disguise and the ability to “transport contraband and weapons.”
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the policy is permissible to meet the compelling security interests of the state. In November, the Supreme Court issued an injunction barring the enforcement of the policy pending appeal.
The Supreme Court will hear Holt v. Hobbs in its next term, which begins in October.
From the March 2014 Report from the Capital. Click here for the next article.
