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Miami Herald
09-05-2025
- Miami Herald
Prison can't stop Indigenous man from wearing religious headband, RI judge rules
A prison that denied an Indigenous inmate's request to wear a religious headband four times will now have to let him wear it and update its policies regarding similar requests, a Rhode Island judge ruled. A complaint filed in January 2024 argued that the Rhode Island Department of Corrections violated the religious rights of Wolf Pawochawog-Mequinosh, who is incarcerated at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston. More than a year after the complaint was filed, a judge has ruled that the prison can't stop Pawochawog-Mequinosh from wearing the headband, according to an April 30 settlement agreement. RIDOC officials emphasized the importance of restrictions around religious items for security purposes while expressing their support for the agreement in a May 6 statement provided to McClatchy News. 'I am pleased we were able to work with our counterparts to resolve this matter in way that both acknowledges the constitutional rights of our population and preserves our efforts to maintain safety in our secure facilities,' RIDOC Director Wayne T. Salisbury Jr. said in the statement. Religious exemption requests denied Pawochawog-Mequinosh, who was raised in the White Mountain Apache Tribe tradition, began trying to get permission to wear a traditional religious cloth headband that expresses 'his Apache faith and the unity of the tribe and spirits' in 2019, according to the complaint. While the Federal Bureau of Prisons recognizes Native American headbands as religious items, the state-run prison in Rhode Island did not, and denied Pawochawog-Mequinosh's requests on four separate occasions, the complaint said. '(RIDOC's) denial of Wolf's requests to obtain and wear an Apache headband has caused Wolf severe daily distress, as he is unable to express his religious traditions and beliefs as he sincerely understands them,' attorneys said. What made it especially difficult for Pawochawog-Mequinosh is that on multiple occasions when corresponding with officials about his request, he would be asked to choose between religious practices because his particular tradition was not recognized in the prison's system, according to the complaint. In the prison's system, Pawochawog-Mequinosh's religious designation was listed as 'Pagan/Wiccan' which he had chosen as the closest fit to his beliefs based on advice from the RIDOC counselor, according to the complaint. The system did not include a 'Native American' religious designation. In choosing this designation, he was able to get significant religious items, like tarot cards and rune stones, and attend religious ceremonies consistent with the White Mountain Apache Tribe tradition, but wearing an Apache headband was not permitted, attorneys said. On multiple requests, RIDOC officials used his religious designation to justify denying him the right to obtain and wear a headband, according to the complaint. Religious rights upheld In April, the court sided with Pawochawog-Mequinosh by ruling that the prison must allow him to both wear the religious headband and retain access to religious items he was already using, according to the settlement. The judge also gave the RIDOC a 120-day deadline to implement procedures for inmates in similar situations whose religion isn't identified in the system, according to the settlement. The prison system also has to pay $40,000 in attorneys' fees to Pawochawog-Mequinosh's legal council. Cranston is about a five-mile drive southwest from Providence.
Boston Globe
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Native American inmate secures right to wear religious Apache headband in settlement with R.I. prisons
Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up 'This case reflects a fundamental principle: People in prison may lose their liberty but they cannot be deprived of their humanity, and the free exercise of religion is a basic human right,' Jared Goldstein, director of the litigation clinic, said in a statement. Related : Advertisement According to the lawsuit, Pawochawog-Mequinosh was raised in the spiritual tradition of the White Mountain Apache Tribe, and the headband 'expresses his sincere religious beliefs arising from the Apache tradition.' While Muslim and Jewish prisoners were allowed to wear kufis and yarmulkes, the Department of Corrections 'had repeatedly denied Wolf's requests for a headband on the grounds that his religion was designated as 'Pagan/Wiccan' in RIDOC's data management system,' the ACLU said. Advertisement 'RIDOC's system does not include a religious designation for adherents of Native American religious traditions,' the ACLU said. The lawsuit was filed under the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, 'which bars states from imposing any substantial burden on a prisoner's exercise of religion unless it furthers a compelling interest and is the least restrictive means available,' the ACLU said. In a statement, the state Department of Corrections said the settlement 'will result in the dismissal' of the lawsuit with 'no fault attributed to RIDOC.' 'The wearing of headbands and access to various religious items without reasonable and legally permissible limitations raises several security concerns with RIDOC's facilities, as these items can be repurposed in ways that could present a safety risk to staff and the incarcerated population,' the department said. 'However, an agreement was reached which allows RIDOC to maintain security and minimize safety risks while permitting the Plaintiff to wear an approved headband and access approved items in accordance with his religious beliefs and applicable policies.' Department of Corrections Director Wayne T. Salisbury Jr. said the agency believes in 'maintaining a constitutional and balanced approach to security when enacting protocols and procedures.' 'I am pleased we were able to work with our counterparts to resolve this matter in a way that both acknowledges the constitutional rights of our population and preserves our efforts to maintain safety in our secure facilities,' Salisbury said in a statement. Pawochawog-Mequinosh was formerly known as Brian Brownell and legally changed his name in 2022, according to the ACLU. Pawochawog-Mequinosh received his name from an Apache elder when he was a child, and 'changing his legal name was important to him because it connected him to his 'spirituality, religion, and history,'' the organization said. Advertisement Christopher Gavin can be reached at
Miami Herald
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Muslims are prevented from practicing their religion at Rhode Island prison, suit says
Muslim inmates at a Rhode Island prison are accusing facility leadership of religious discrimination by withholding access to some of their religious practices, according to a lawsuit. The complaint filed Feb. 13 on behalf of Diamond Wilson, Karlton Brockman, Nathan Cooper and Lorenzo Hicks — four Muslim inmates at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections High Security Center — comes just two weeks before Ramadan, a holy month of prayer and fasting for Muslims. 'Despite repeated requests by plaintiffs, RIDOC and RIDOC officials have prevented plaintiffs from practicing their religion, including the ability to observe Ramadan, to engage in communal prayer, to meet with an imam, and to obtain needed religious items,' attorneys said in the complaint. The complaint states that the prison's denials to Muslim inmates 'are not the least restrictive means to achieve a compelling governmental interest,' violating the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act and the 14th Amendment. 'As a department we acknowledge and respect the constitutional rights of everyone under our care,' J.R. Ventura, RIDOC public information officer, told McClatchy News in a Feb. 19 email, adding that he could not further comment on pending litigation. In January 2024, the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island filed a similar lawsuit against the prison, saying it denied accommodation for religious practices of a Native American prisoner. Religious discrimination against Muslim inmates According to the complaint, RIDOC officials discriminate against Muslim inmates by allowing certain religious practices — including communal gatherings and meetings with clergy — to Christians and not Muslims. Despite multiple requests for communal Muslim prayer and its salient role in religious practices, officials have not allowed Muslims in the High Security Center (HSC) to hold any communal prayer services, attorneys said. Christians, however, gather for services weekly, and announcements about the gatherings are heard over the intercom, attorneys said. Muslim inmates also feel discriminated against when it comes to meeting with an imam, according to the complaint. While Christian inmates are given permission to meet with chaplains weekly without submitting requests to do so, Muslim inmates have less access to an imam — and no access in some cases, attorneys said. 'Although the imam visits HSC, his visits are infrequent and sporadic, and RIDOC only allows him to visit inmates in certain cell blocks,' attorneys said. According to the complaint, Muslim inmates are also denied access to prayer rugs and prayer cloths. Ramadan disruptions The complaint lists three ways RIDOC officials restricted Ramadan observances in 2024: by reducing Muslim inmates' caloric intake, requiring inmates to extend their fast by several hours and prohibiting them from breaking their fast together. According to attorneys, other prisons have policies that accommodate Ramadan observances, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons has certain requirements to ensure practicing Muslims are able to get proper nutrition during this time. However, the RIDOC only provides Muslims observing Ramadan two meals a day at times that lengthen the duration of their fast. 'Because of both the extension of the fast and lack of adequate nutrition, Plaintiffs lost weight, experienced hunger pains, and were pressured to break their religious obligations,' attorneys said. RIDOC officials also do not allow Muslim inmates to come together to celebrate iftar, the communal fast-breaking meal during Ramadan, attorneys said. In March 2024, when one of the inmates gave a piece of candy to another to break the fast together, they were both punished with 20 days of disciplinary confinement, the complaint said. With Ramadan coming up in March, the complaint asks for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction so inmates can partake in religious practices surrounding the holiday. The complaint also asks for a permanent injunction ordering the prison to make certain policy changes, including allowing the inmates to observe Ramadan, engage in weekly communal prayer, meet regularly with an imam and access religious items. The Rhode Island Department of Corrections High Security Center is located in Cranston, a 5-mile drive south from Providence.
Boston Globe
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Ahead of Ramadan, lawsuit alleges Muslims face religious discrimination in R.I. prison
Get Rhode Island News Alerts Sign up to get breaking news and interesting stories from Rhode Island in your inbox each weekday. Enter Email Sign Up 'RIDOC has prevented Muslims in HSC from properly observing the holiday, a holy month which requires them to refrain from eating food and drinking water during daylight hours, and to instead eat a pre-dawn meal and break their fast at sunset,' the ACLU alleged in a Advertisement The lawsuit alleges that during Ramadan last year, the Department of Corrections 'required Muslim prisoners to eat their breakfast between 2 and 3 a.m.; repeatedly served their evening meals late; failed to provide them adequate nutrition with skimpy evening meals after not having had any lunch; and interfered with their ability to break the fast communally,' the ACLU said. Additionally, the prisoners allege Muslims at the high-security facility are not allowed to hold communal prayer sessions, even though Christian prisoners are allowed to do so, according to the ACLU. The lawsuit also alleges the Department of Corrections 'denies Muslims in HSC regular access to an imam, a Muslim spiritual leader, which 'contrasts with the treatment of prisoners of different faiths, including Christian prisoners, who are . . . allowed to see their chaplains weekly,'' the ACLU said. The prisoners have also allegedly been denied access to religious items such as prayer rugs and prayer cloths, according to the ACLU. Advertisement A spokesperson for the Department of Corrections did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday morning. The complaint follows a similar lawsuit filed by the ACLU and the Prisoners' Rights Clinic last year, in which the two groups Related : Christopher Gavin can be reached at
