A Rastafarian prisoner is trying to “Stir It Up” with the prison in which he is serving time for murder. James Rose is suing the South Carolina Department of Corrections for cutting off his dreadlocks and failing to provide him with pot, in violation of his First Amendment Rights to Freedom of Religion, under the the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
Rose is serving a life sentence for the home invasion and execution-style murder of Leland Shannon, Jr. Rose aided, but did not pull the trigger, in this gruesome murder, which played out in front of Shannon’s 12-year-old son. While serving out his sentence, in April 2017, Rose claims that he asked for marijuana and to grow his hair to unlimited length, as part of his Rasta practice. He was denied the weed, and was subsequently held down and had his head forcibly shaved. Rose is claiming psychological and physical trauma, and is seeking $1 million in punitive and actual damages. He also wants the weed and the dreads.
Money and Weed Are a Longshot, but Perhaps Rose Can Keep the Dreads
Rose will have an extremely difficult time winning the weed debate, as there is no such legal precedent. Had he been a practicing Rastafarian for years prior to committing murder, he may have some slim chance of an argument. But Rose sites no such evidence in his handwritten lawsuit.
If you feel your religious rights are being violated in prison, contact a local civil rights attorney to see if the situation can be improved.
Related Resources:
- Find a Civil Rights Attorney Near You (FindLaw’s Lawyer Directory)
- Do Prison Inmates Have Meal Option Rights? (FindLaw Blotter)
- Lawsuit: Denying Methadone to Prisoners Is Cruel and Unusual (FindLaw Blotter)
You Don’t Have To Solve This on Your Own – Get a Lawyer’s Help
Civil Rights
Block on Trump’s Asylum Ban Upheld by Supreme Court
Criminal
Judges Can Release Secret Grand Jury Records
Politicians Can’t Block Voters on Facebook, Court Rules
