Prisoner Sues State For Making Him Cut His Dreadlocks | PHOTO

A middle Georgia inmate has sued the state Department of Corrections saying prison guards violated his rights by forcing him to cut his dreadlocks.

The Telegraph newspaper reports    Georgia prisons require inmates to keep their hair shorter than 3 inches on top and above their ears and collar. But Bryan Kawand Sims, who’s serving a life sentence for armed robbery and aggravated assault, says he should be granted a religious exemption to grow dreadlocks up to 3-feet long as a follower of the Rastafarian faith.
Sims filed a handwritten lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court. A Georgia Department of Corrections spokeswoman said the agency doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
Sims says he’s twice been denied an exemption to grooming standards because prison officials don’t recognize Rastafarianism as a religion.