tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606201113344523885.post2911846158564533..comments2024-03-28T13:08:26.494-04:00Comments on Religion & American Law: Religious Rights’ of Prisoners and Compelling State Interest in Regulating ActionBrantley Gasawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02894338478934982958noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606201113344523885.post-36603436412000500622015-02-03T20:28:56.553-05:002015-02-03T20:28:56.553-05:00I think that religious exceptions should not be al...I think that religious exceptions should not be allowed for people in prison because they broke the law and gave up their right to be free to do whatever they choose. I do not believe prisoners that are asking for these religious exceptions are doing so for genuine reasons because if there were extremely religious prior to breaking the law then they would not have committed crimes in the first place. If exemptions must be made then I agree with the author that the exemptions should be reviewed on a case by case basis. This is a slippery slope and if religious exemptions start being made then more and more people in prison will start rebelling against the rules and think they have the right to more luxuries and freedoms than they deserve.Kristen B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01050909421957777411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606201113344523885.post-80771253678197325432015-02-03T13:24:35.221-05:002015-02-03T13:24:35.221-05:00I agree with the idea that prisoners should be gra...I agree with the idea that prisoners should be granted their First Amendment rights unless the state has a compelling interest to strip them of these rights, simply for the safety of the staff and other inmates. I also agree with your point that these decisions should be made on a case to case basis. If the prisoner is there for some petty crime then they should be allowed to keep their rights. However, if they committed an extreme, violent crime or anything that breaches their religious beliefs, then they certainly shouldn't have the right to maintain their religious beliefs under any circumstances in prison.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606201113344523885.post-48222222536964287952015-02-02T20:54:17.497-05:002015-02-02T20:54:17.497-05:00I agree that these religious exceptions should be ...I agree that these religious exceptions should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. In this specific circumstance I do not see a huge risk in terms of hair length, but I also do not work in a prison so I cannot say definitively whether or not it is a true risk. I think as there were limitations placed on the length of the beard there could be limitations on the length of the hair that could allow some leeway for Native Americans to retain a longer hair length. I believe that the state has the right to limit the length of the prisoner's hair because they have committed a crime and waved some of their rights as a result. The primary interest of the state is safety and as long as that can be maintained through certain hair length limitations I believe Native Americans can receive a partial exemption from current prison regulations. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15238117381787576366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606201113344523885.post-82913238676087424702015-02-02T20:52:53.587-05:002015-02-02T20:52:53.587-05:00I believe that there should be some level of consi...I believe that there should be some level of consistency in assessing the judgement of religious freedom for incarcerated citizens. I firmly stand behind the belief that prisons of this country gave up their rights, including religious rights, when they made the conscious decision to break the law. I do agree that prisoners should be allowed to pray and worship freely within the prison system. But I also think that, when it comes to altering the physical appearance of the prisoner for so-claimed religious purposes, the line should be drawn. The prison system is designed so that every prisoner is expected to look the same, as they are all incarcerated and there are no exceptions to certain prisoners. I think allowing physical appearance differences would ultimately result in them standing out among the other prisoners as well as possibly creating a danger to those around them. I agree that a half-inch beard may be harder to hide a weapon in, but longer hair could easily conceal a threatening object. All those incarcerated actively chose to break the law, and by doing so, they gave up their freedom. The slippery slope is too dangerous to allow Native Americans to wear their hair long, just as it is too dangerous to allow a Muslim man to wear a turban or a Shiite man to carry the religious dagger that is common in the outside world. Molly H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00721867630371536282noreply@blogger.com