Waukesha County Jail Commended For Offering More Religious Texts

WAUKESHA, WI—The Waukesha County Jail is making religious materials and diets more accessible to incarcerated individuals who are Muslim, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin.

The ACLU of Wisconsin wrote a letter calling for the jail to comply with constitutional standards that protect religious freedom.

28-year-old Shayne Longley, a Muslim inmate in the Waukesha County Jail, was told if he wanted to read the Quran he would have to purchase one from the commissary, according to an ACLU of Wisconsin newsletter.

Longley was also denied access to a Halal diet which is food and drink permissible for Muslims to consume.

“I was feeling upset. I was shocked,” Longley said in the newsletter. “I didn’t see how they could deny me a Quran and halal diet. I felt discriminated against.”

Longley reached out to the ACLU of Wisconsin because he didn’t want any other Muslim brother or sister in jail to go through what he went through.

Longley spoke with Asma Kadri Keeler, ACLU of Wisconsin staff attorney, who after hearing his story, wanted to help.

“Freedom of religion is fundamental to our democracy and guaranteed by the First Amendment and penal institutions have a constitutional obligation to accommodate the sincerely held religious beliefs of those in their custody. It is so important that people incarcerated in our jails and prison have the ability to practice their religion. If the jail provides access to Bibles free of charge, they should also provide religious texts for those practicing religions other than Christianity.”

The Waukesha County Jail will offer more Qurans as well as tablets which will provide access to 40 different religious texts. In addition, the Waukesha County Jail has entered into a contract with a new food service provider provide Halal diets, according to the newsletter.

“We want to commend the Waukesha County Jail for its willingness to correct their practice of preferencing Christianity over other religions and fulfill its constitutional obligation to accommodate all religious beliefs,” Keeler said.