Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Calif. Permits Prisoners to Maintain Their Beards; All Faiths Can Keep Beards for Religious Reasons

The Worldwide Religious News website reports today (June 14, 2011) that California has agreed to allow prisoners in the state to keep unshorn beards in accordance with their faith.

The change follows settlement of a lawsuit filed by the Sikh Coalition against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) on behalf of Singh Basra, a Sikh inmate.

The settlement protects inmates of all faiths -- not just Sikhs -- who maintain religiously-mandated beards.

Under the settlement's terms, CDCR will repeal a rule prohibiting inmates from growing facial hair more than a half inch in length.

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