Ohio Muslim Inmates Sue Over Meal Preparation

by Associated Press

A death row inmate says the Ohio prison system is denying him meals prepared according to Islamic law, known as halal, according to a federal lawsuit that alleges a civil rights violation.

Condemned inmate Abdul Awkal says the prison system's failure to provide the halal meals is a restraint on his religious freedoms.

Awkal, joined by a second inmate not on death row, says the vegetarian and non-pork options offered by the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction aren't good enough. The inmates say the food must be prepared in specific fashion, such as ensuring that an animal is butchered by slitting its throat and draining its blood, to conform with Islamic beliefs.

Awkal, 52, is scheduled to die in June for killing his estranged wife, Latife Awkal, and brother-in-law Mahmoud Abdul-Aziz in 1992, in a room in Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court.

Joining Awkal in the lawsuit is Cornelius Causey, 35, serving 15 years to life for murder and aggravated robbery convictions out of Hamilton County.

Ohio argues that it provides both non-pork and vegetarian meals to Muslims and says the courts have sided with this practice. The state also says that providing halal meals could hurt Ohio financially, given the current budget situation.

"The complete restructuring of ODRC's food service administration and preparation, at a cost of millions to the State of Ohio during fiscal crisis, is at stake," Ryan Dolan, an assistant attorney general, argued in a court filing.

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Inmate files lawsuit for being denied pornography

by Associated Press
MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. — A Michigan jail inmate says he’s being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment because he can’t have pornography.

In a handwritten lawsuit, 21-year-old Kyle Richards claims his civil rights are being violated at the Macomb County Jail. Richards says denying his request for erotic material subjects him to a “poor standard of living” and “sexual and sensory deprivation.”

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Convict sues jail for $50 million...for calling him an "inmate"

by Daily Mail Reporter

The family of a convicted killer is suing New York state for $50 million, saying he is being 'stigmatised' by being called an 'inmate'.

Gerard Domond, 49, says the term implies he was 'mating with other men' in his lawsuit against the state.

The Domond family want the state to stop calling him an 'inmate' as the term hurts his feelings causing him 'mental anguish.'

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Radicalization of Muslims in U.S. prisons

Georgia Prison Inmates Strike Over Low Pay

by Adam Crisp

Georgia inmates are reportedly striking across the state, refusing to go out on work details or perform chores until they are paid or see improved living conditions.

Georgia corrections officials wouldn't confirm or deny a strike Monday, but said four prisons across the state were on lockdown for a fifth day after they got wind of a rumored protest late last week.

The group organizing the strike contends that at least four state prisons across Georgia are still participating in the strike, including Hays State Prison an hour south of Chattanooga in Trion. Along with Hays, other prisons on lockdown are Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, Telfair State Prison in Helena and Smith State Prison in Glennville.

At various points over the last five days, the group has said inmates in anywhere from six to 11 prisons are striking.

Going by the name "Concerned Coalition," strike organizers say they won't settle for anything less than payment for inmates who perform work while incarcerated. The group, consisting of three women from Atlanta and South Georgia, recently partnered with the Georgia NAACP, which is calling for a federal investigation into prison conditions in Georgia.

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Inmate gets special meals as adherent of Festivus

by the Associated Press

SANTA ANA, Calif. -- An Orange County inmate who disliked salami got special meals after declaring his religious belief in the Festivus holiday celebrated on the television show "Seinfeld."

The Orange County Register reports Monday that 38-year-old convicted drug dealer Malcolm Alarmo King asked for kosher meals at the Theo Lacy jail to maintain his healthy physique.

But sheriff's officials reserve kosher meals for inmates with a religious need.

Judge Derek G. Johnson demanded a religious reason for King to receive the meals and defense attorney Fred Thiagarajah cited his client's devotion to Festivus -- a holiday celebrated on "Seinfeld" with an aluminum pole and the airing of grievances.

Sheriff's Department spokesman Ryan Burris says King got salami-free meals for two months before the county got the order thrown out in court.