Prison May Limit Rastafarian’s Dreadlocks, Must Accommodate Diet

An Ohio prison’s limit on the allowable width of dreadlocks doesn’t violate a Rastafarian inmate’s religious practice because he didn’t establish that the policy would prevent him from growing his hair naturally, the Sixth Circuit said Tuesday.

Plaintiff Cecil Koger hasn’t shown he was injured by the hair policy because his deadlocks are within the allowable width and would only require removal if his hair is deemed unsearchable, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit said.

The court, however, reinstated Koger’s claims that the prison violated his right to exercise his religion by denying his requests for a ...