US court rules security interests trump orthodox Jew who wanted to grow a beard in NH prison

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US court rules security interests trump orthodox Jew who wanted to grow a beard in NH prison
(AP, September 1, 2010)

Concord, USA - A federal judge has ruled that inmates have no First Amendment rights to grow a beard, rejecting the claim of an orthodox Jew who said a prison limit on facial hair violated his constitutional rights.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Steven McAuliffe ruled in the suit brought by Albert Kuperman that prison officials' concerns about hygiene and security trump inmates' free expression and religious rights.

McAuliffe acknowledged that Kuperman's religion "requires men to refrain from trimming their beards." But, he ruled, prison officials have valid reasons for requiring that beards be kept to a maximum length of a quarter-inch.

"That length allows correctional officers to identify inmates easily, prevents inmates from hiding contraband and weapons in beards and minimizes the risk that an escaped inmate could quickly change his appearance after an escape," McAuliffe wrote in his ruling last Friday.

Kuperman, 25, is serving 3 1/2 to 7 years behind bars for sexually molesting a minor in 2002. He is eligible for parole in January.

He lost a court challenge last year over kosher diets. He claimed his constitutional rights were violated when he was removed from a kosher diet plan after twice being caught eating non-kosher foods. Corrections spokesman Jim Lyons said prison policy has since been changed to permit an inmate three lapses before withholding a religious diet.

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	All Articles US court rules security interests trump orthodox Jew who wanted to grow a beard in NH prison (AP, September 1, 2010) Concord, USA - A federal judge has ruled that inmates have no First Amendment rights to grow a beard, rejecting the claim of an orthodox Jew who said a prison limit on facial hair violated his constitutional rights. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Steven McAuliffe ruled in the suit brought by Albert Kuperman that prison officials' concerns about hygiene and security trump inmates' free expression and religious rights. McAuliffe acknowledged that Kuperman's religion "requires men to refrain from trimming their beards." But, he ruled, prison officials have valid reasons for requiring that beards be kept to a maximum length of a quarter-inch. "That length allows correctional officers to identify inmates easily, prevents inmates from hiding contraband and weapons in beards and minimizes the risk that an escaped inmate could quickly change his appearance after an escape," McAuliffe wrote in his ruling last Friday. Kuperman, 25, is serving 3 1/2 to 7 years behind bars for sexually molesting a minor in 2002. He is eligible for parole in January. He lost a court challenge last year over kosher diets. He claimed his constitutional rights were violated when he was removed from a kosher diet plan after twice being caught eating non-kosher foods. Corrections spokesman Jim Lyons said prison policy has since been changed to permit an inmate three lapses before withholding a religious diet. Related Sections \| Judaism	Search 10 Commandments 12 Tribes Aum/Aleph Bahai Branch Davidians Buddhism Christianity Church/State Colonia Dignidad FLDS Falun Gong Gatekeepers Gov. Reports Hari Krishna Hinduism Home Schooling Honohana House of Prayer Internet Related Islam Judaism Legislation Legislative Docs. Miscellaneous Mungiki Native Religions Nuwaubian Nation Occult Other NRMs PBMA Raelians Rastafarians Scholarly Papers Scientology Sectarian Violence Sikhism Solar Temple The Body The Family Int'l Unification Church Yahweh Zong Gong
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