I "Mustache" You All A Question...Should Beards Be Allowed In Prisons?

     According to the New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/03/us/beards-in-prison-hold-next-religion-test-for-supreme-court.html?ref=us,  over the past few months, there has been much debate regarding the topic of...facial hair...yes, facial hair. Recently, the case of Gregory Holt, an inmate of an Arkansas prison, has been brought to the attention of the Supreme Court. The case to be argued on October 7th deals precisely with this very issue. I'm sure many of you are wondering why the subject of facial hair would be gracing the headlines of several national news websites? Well I'll tell you why. Gregory Holt also known by the name of Abdul Maalik Muhammad is a practicing Muslim; precisely the reason for the controversy. Muslims by faith are encouraged to grow beards in order to show their devoutness, and pay homage to Muhammad the Prophet. The case deals largely with the subject of Religious Freedom. Over forty prison systems across the United States allow for inmates to grow beards of any length, with Arkansas being one of the exceptions. The law states that only "neatly trimmed" style facial hair is permitted for prisoners with skin diseases. Should the government really be able to regulate one's own appearance?

     There are clearly two sides to this argument. Those who believe that the law is utterly ridiculous firmly state that telling a Muslim he cannot grow hair to profess his faith is in violation of the First Amendment. However, majority believe that the law is completely reasonable given the norm that occurs in prison. In the past beards have been used in order to disguise illegal contraband such as marijuana, cocaine, needles, sharp pieces of wire, and knives. The state informed the court that allowing beards would be rather dangerous during times of inspection; additionally, beards allow for escaped prisoners to dramatically modify their appearance easily. The risk is simply too great to make exceptions even for religious reasons. As of last year, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit St. Louis, Missouri, ruled that the reasons provided for the prohibition of beards were completely plausible. However, Gregory Holt asked the Supreme Court to hear his case once more, stating that other courts had previously disapproved of banning beards in prisons. Who knows, maybe the idea of facial hair will "grow" on the Supreme Court eventually, however for now, the controversy still remains.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/03/us/beards-in-prison-hold-next-religion-test-for-supreme-court.html?ref=us

Photos: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/justin-bieber-arrest-stars-tweet-reactions-mugshot-jokes-2014231
http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2012/08/mug-shot_friday_television_per.php