![]() Garris first learned of the jail’s policy on May 10.Ī captain from the sheriff’s department visited Garris’ unit and told him and other inmates that the jail had a new policy and that inmates would need to get their hair cut by a barber that week, Garris recalled. “I’ve been going there for a while, and I never had problems with nobody,” Garris said earlier this month. In 2002, when he began serving 20 months in the Portsmouth jail, his hair extended halfway down his back. He said he has seen lots of inmates with long hair and dreadlocks. Over the years, Garris has served time in Portsmouth and Chesapeake jails on convictions that include bribery of a witness, grand larceny and possession of cocaine. The Portsmouth native was transferred to the regional jail on May 29. Sheriff Bill Watson and I have had words and I was punched by one deputy.” In an inmate grievance form, Garris wrote that “I feel that my life is in danger and or I may receive bodily harm from Portsmouth City Jail. Garris, 45, has been a practicing Rastafarian since 1994. ![]() “It’s one thing to put a prisoner in segregation but another thing to forcibly cut their hair,” said Kent Willis, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia. The ACLU of Virginia has appealed the ruling. The law also states that institutions should exercise the least restrictive ways of maintaining security.Ī federal judge in Richmond ruled last summer for the Department of Corrections. In 2003, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia challenged the state’s policy in federal court on behalf of a handful of Virginia inmates.įederal law prohibits jails that receive federal money from regulating how inmates practice their religion, except when there is a compelling interest for restrictions, said Rebecca Glenberg, legal director of the ACLU of Virginia. Inmates can then be placed in segregation, he said. The policy encourages hygiene and makes it difficult for inmates to alter their appearance to avoid recognition, Traylor said.Īs of June 1, about 35 of the roughly 31,500 inmates in state prisons have refused to comply, he said. Men must have a 1-inch hair length or shorter. The policy allows women to grow hair to their shoulders, but they, too, are banned from wearing dreadlocks. Long hair can conceal contraband, spokesman Larry Traylor said. In 1999, Virginia Department of Correction officials banned long hair on men, including dreadlocks. However, Virginia’s state prison system does. “It’s pretty much what you see on the street,” Bierowicz said.įederal prisons have no restrictions on inmates’ hair. Portsmouth defense attorneys Trey Piersall and Lee Ann Bierowicz said they see a variety of hairstyles when visiting clients in local jails: pony-tails, dreadlocks, plats and pom poms – natural hair that is sectioned off and placed in two rubber bands near the center of the head. Hampton Roads Regional Jail’s haircut policy states that “inmates will have freedom in their personal grooming except when a valid interest justifies otherwise.” It also states that “no unusual or exotic hair styles will be permitted.” “We do not make inmates shave or cut their hair when they come in as long as they keep it clean,” said Bonita Harris, a spokeswoman for Norfolk Sheriff Bob McCabe’s office. Portsmouth’s hair policy is unusual among local jails in Hampton Roads. Garris is the only inmate who has refused to comply, Watson said. Watson said he doesn’t know how many inmates have been required to get haircuts. Short haircuts also promote good hygiene, he said. ![]() The policy requires prisoners to keep hair short, Watson said, because they can hide illegal substances and items in long hair. Watson said this week that he started enforcing a long-standing hair policy last month as part of an investigation into contraband in the jail. ![]() This is the Portsmouth City Jail, not the Hotel Hilton.” “When you come in here, you have two choices: You can cut your hair, or we’ll cut it for you,” Watson said. E-Pilot Evening Edition Home Page Close Menu
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |