| Client Name: | Regina Smith |
| Case Name: | Regina Smith v. State of Virginia (Administrative Level) |
| Date Filed: | 2019 |
| Date Closed: | 2020 |
| Legal Department: | Civil Litigation |
| Gender: | Female |
| Race/Ethnicity: | African-American |
| Location: | Virginia |
| Federal Agency Involved: | Virginia Office of the Attorney General |
| Issues: | Religious Accommodation in Prison (Right to wear Hijab) |
As a devout Muslim, our client Regina Smith sought the right to wear her hijab while incarcerated in a Virginia prison. But she experienced verbal abuse and threats of punishment from the guards at her facility, just for exercising her constitutionally protected right to observe her religion. The areas where Regina could wear her hijab without discipline gradually diminished, until it became limited to only while she was in her cell.
Verdict/Ruling:
The State of Virginia’s Department of Corrections now allows all inmates statewide to wear religious head-coverings in most areas, a big improvement from before we got involved.
Effective December 1, 2020, the Department of Corrections in Virginia updated its operating procedures and now allows inmate head coverings for religious reasons inside its prison facilities statewide.
Impact:
The efforts of our Civil Litigation attorneys brought immediate relief to all people of faith who wish to observe their religious beliefs while in the Virginia Department of Corrections. That right continues today.
