(Miami Herald) It will be a long time if ever before Durell Sims tastes real freedom, but an appeals court has validated one freedom: the ability to grow a bushy beard behind bars.
In the latest twist in litigation that has lasted years and spanned multiple courts, a federal appeals court upheld a lower court ruling that the Martin County man serving life in Florida prison may grow his beard in conformity with his religious beliefs — setting a precedent that could have nationwide ramifications for prisoners’ religious rights.
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the state’s argument that the 40-year-old Muslim man, currently held in South Bay Correctional Facility in Palm Beach, failed to exhaust all administrative remedies before he filed a civil action against the secretary of the Florida Department of Corrections.
