You would have thought that Kendall Gibson is one of Virginia’s most dangerous prisoners. For more than 10 years he has lived in segregation at the Greensville Correctional Center, spending at least 23 hours every day in a cell the size of a gas station bathroom. He is there, he says, not for his crimes but for a crime he will not commit a crime against God. The only thing imposing about Gibson is his long black dreadlocks, resting on the front of his shoulders so they won’t drag the ground as he shuffles along in his orange jumpsuit. It is his hair winding locks he considers a measure of his Rastafarian faith that makes him a threat, according to Virginia Department of Corrections Operating Procedure No. 864.1.The rule took effect on Dec. 15, 1999. Inmates had two choices: cut their hair no longer than their collars and shave their beards, or be placed in administrative segregation. At first,  Gibson was among as many as 40 inmates who opted for confinement over cutting.  Almost 7 years ago  a handful of the inmates filed a federal lawsuit against the department over their detention, 23 remained in segregation. I thought segregation ended? The lawsuit failed. Some cracked under the pressure of constant isolation with no visits from loved ones, educational or religious programs or commissary. Dang, no money on their books?

“People always ask how I can smile in a place so negative,” he says. The Rastafarian God, Jah, “is my answer. Without Jah in my life I wouldn’t be able to handle it.”  He is very dedicated. I promise you that if it were me I would be having a Paxil party. If it were you, what would you do? – Courtney L.

Source: USA Today