The ACLU of Virginia announced today that a settlement agreement has been reached in Burke v. Clarke, a federal lawsuit on behalf of Randy Burke, a practicing Rastafarian who was put in solitary confinement for over five years for refusing to cut his hair, even though it violated a tenet of his religion.
During his time in solitary confinement, Burke was also denied opportunities to practice his religion, including receiving religious services, religious items, and holiday meals.
Burke was originally incarcerated in the Virgin Islands and was transferred to Red Onion State Prison in 2013 and later to Wallens Ridge State Prison in 2014, where he was held in the Violators Housing Unit, confined to a solitary cell for 21 hours a day, until the unit closed in 2019.
Source: Settlement reached in religious freedom, solitary confinement suit